GOP Takes White House, Senate; House Control Still Uncertain

What happened: Republicans decisively prevailed in an election billed as a “coin-flip” by taking control of the White House and Senate, with President Donald Trump earning back the presidency and the GOP winning at least three seats in the upper chamber (Montana, Ohio, West Virginia). As of Nov. 6, both parties are still in contention to gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

What it means: The remainder of 2024 will largely focus on the transition to a Trump Administration that will take office in January.  Among the most high-profile aspects of this process will be President Trump’s nominees for cabinet positions and the naming of White House staff that will largely be charged with implementing his policy priorities.

The change in leadership in the Senate is expected to bring some long-time defenders of federal infrastructure investment- as well as supporters of the 2021 reauthorization of the highway and public transportation programs – to the helm of key committees, including:

• Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees federal highway and water infrastructure programs;
• Susan Collins (R-Maine) will head up the Appropriations Committee which controls all annual federal discretionary spending; and
• Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who will chair the Senate Finance Committee that has the purview of tax and revenue measures.

Regardless of who controls the House, bipartisanship will be needed as Republicans are unlikely to secure a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate, and narrow margins are expected in the House.

What’s next: Determining control of the House will likely take days, if not weeks, to resolve. Congress returns the week of Nov. 11 to begin debating how to wrap-up the 118^th Congress, including the fate of all 12 Fiscal Year 2025 spending bills.

To learn more about the election impacts for the transportation construction industry, sign-up for ARTBA’s free post-election webinar, tomorrow, Nov. 7 at noon EST.