From: Trimble Transportation Mobility
By Dave Osiecki
Although Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) staff were not furloughed during the recent and prolonged partial government shutdown (due to a fairly unique agency funding stream), other parts of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), along with other federal agencies that help review and process federal rulemaking proposals, were affected. Many policy-related staff in the Office of the Secretary of the USDOT were furloughed, and part of their responsibility is to review draft regulatory proposals from FMCSA and other USDOT agencies.
Similarly, ‘desk officers’ and management staff at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget were furloughed, and the bulk of their job is to review rule proposals from agencies across the federal government. In fact, there is only one OMB desk officer assigned to manage the regulatory workload from FMCSA, and that person also reviews regulatory actions from other USDOT agencies.