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WASHINGTON, DC – Eyes and ears all over the nation were glued to their televisions Tuesday as Americans watched, what was for some some, a shocking election outcome. Republican nominee Donald Trump, who many had written off, was elected President of the United States. The New York business mogul won 276 electoral college votes to best former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It was an incredibly close race – she is likely to win the popular vote when the final votes are counted – but ultimately Trump’s brazen and anti-establishment message resonated with many across the country.
Overall Republicans fared well in the election retaining their Senate and House majority. The GOP will now enter the next Congressional session with the benefit of a “trifecta;” control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. As with any change in Washington, this new order will impact the priorities of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF).
Next Steps
President-Elect Trump’s transition team will now circle the wagons to focus on a number of items including identifying and vetting a new Cabinet. Positions such as Secretary of Transportation, and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will determine the policies of the respective agencies which may or may not align with the priorities of the motorcycle community depending on the selections.
Congress will also need to shuffle a number of Committee Chairmanships due to term limits and other factors. For bikers, there are four key committees that have jurisdiction over issues affecting the right to ride; two in the House and two in the Senate. We expect to see changes in both leadership and makeup of these Committees, especially in the Senate. Again, with new Chairmanships come new agendas. Your MRF will be vigilant in taking any advantages that are presented in the 115th Congress while mitigating potential threats.
Policy Priorities
The Trump Administration and Congress will each have their own set of initiatives that they will commit to working on in the first 100 days after the inauguration on January 20. The details of these will be worked out over the coming months, but rumors have already begun circulating on activities regarding an infrastructure bill, tax reform and repeal of ObamaCare. However, there are a number of issues specific to bikers that may also see congressional and White House activity including but not limited to the authority of the EPA, the amount of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply and toll roads as they relate to an infrastructure improvement plan.
A Friend in the White House
Also not lost on the biker community is the relationship and history between motorcycles and Vice-President-Elect Mike Pence. Pence, who most recently served as Governor of Indiana, is a motorcycle rider himself, participating in several “Ride with the Governor” events for charity in Indiana. As for Trump, he made a special trip to Washington, DC’s annual Rolling Thunder event which brings in bikers from all across the nation. Trump spoke to the audience of bikers at length last May.
Want to Know More?
For more details surrounding the impact of the 2016 elections including potential new congressional champions, speculation on Trump’s Cabinet Secretary picks and other “inside baseball” that impacts your right to ride, read the full MRF memo: 2016 Election Impact: A Roadmap for Going Forward by clicking on the attached PDF document or by contacting Megan Ekstrom megan@MRF.org