Washington has become the capital of constant change, making for lively times for those involved in government relations, explained Mike Joyce, a policy strategist specializing in transportation and infrastructure, and TTMA’s lead lobbyist on Capitol Hill. And this ever-shifting landscape makes participation in policy making on industry issues critical.
“I used to keep a Magic 8-Ball on my desk, and if I could hand out Magic 8-Balls to you today, unfortunately every time you look at it, it would probably say, ‘ask again later,’” Joyce said, opening his DC update for TTMA members attending the annual convention. “The country is very, very divided, and a lot of folks on one side or the other feeling great about what's happening or not feeling so excited. But what we all can agree on is that all of this is happening. It's probably been the most active three, four months, five months, in Washington for all of us that manage and deal with government affairs. It is a constant fire hose each day, each hour, each minute, each second.”
Adding fuel to the division, the Trump administration has delivered an "avalanche of executive orders."
“The Trump administration 2.0 knew what they wanted to try to accomplish in that first 100 days, and they knew that the clock is ticking because, historically speaking, the White House loses seats in a midterm,” Joyce said. “That's why they've been so aggressive.”
Numbers game
Indeed, Joyce’s analysis highlighted the narrow control in the House of Representatives held by Republicans (220 Republicans to 213 Democrats, with two vacancies), meaning Speaker Mike Johnson must to manage a very tight margin to pass legislation: A defection of three Republicans kills any bill's chance of passing. The Senate currently has a stronger Republican majority (53 Republicans, 47 Democrats, including two independents).
Redistricting and gerrymandering have contributed to highly partisan districts, reducing the number of competitive seats in the House, Joyce explained. Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, approximately 22 House seats are considered "toss-up districts" that will likely determine control. In the Senate, four specific seats are key. Joyce suggested Republicans are likely to retain control of the Senate in 2026.
Two "big enchiladas" dominate the current legislative focus. The first is the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), including key business tax provisions like R&D expensing (Section 174), bonus depreciation (Section 168k), and rules around interest deductibility.
The second major focus is the reauthorization of the infrastructure bill, currently the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which expires in September 2026.
FET repeal
A significant challenge tied to this is the Federal Highway Trust Fund, which faces a substantial shortfall between outlays and revenue. Revenues from fuel taxes—the gas tax has been unchanged since 1993—and other trucking taxes have not kept pace with spending and inflation. But Congress currently has "zero appetite" to raise fuel taxes, much less doubling them tax to close the gap, Joyce noted.
Additionally, of special importance to the trailer industry, efforts to repeal the 12% federal excise tax (FET) on tractors and trailers (HR 2424) face the major hurdle of finding a replacement revenue source, which came in at about $7 billion in 2023. Proposed alternatives like annual registration fees or vehicle miles traveled (VMT) taxes have been discussed, but VMT has faced resistance from the trucking industry.
Joyce closed by emphasizing the importance of trade association advocacy. He highlighting the TTMA's efforts, including their Washington D.C. fly-ins, to engage with members of Congress.
“You really tell great stories about manufacturing, about American competitiveness, about keeping our companies competitive in the global environment,” Joyce concluded. So we definitely encourage you to reach out to your members of Congress, engage with them, and invite them to your facilities to learn what you all do.”