I'm still reporting this story. If you work for DOT or an industry regulated by the agency and have relevant information to share, my email is [email protected] and I’m on the encrypted messaging app Signal (you can message me at jesse_coburn.56).

Read my full investigation here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...

And the pipeline group said its members “will continue to engage with PHMSA to advance rulemakings that prioritize the safety of our members and the communities that they serve.” Kochman did not respond to requests for comment.

Regarding the industry ties of agency leadership, DOT added: “Each of the appointees are here because they care about the safety of the American people, and they have the Secretary’s full vote of confidence to carry out that mission.”

DOT defended its safety record, saying: “The insinuation that slashing duplicative and outdated regulations contradicts that mission isn’t just wrong — it ignores the fact that doing so enhances focus on enforcing the key rules that actually keep the American people secure.”

All of this has alarmed safety advocates and current + former DOT officials: "The consequence of this, of pulling back on these safety regulations, is that more daughters, mothers, children, bread winners are going to lose their lives,” said one.

This industry/regulator alignment is clearest at DOT's pipeline safety office. It's put out a flurry of deregulatory proposals, many signed by one Trump appointee: Ben Kochman.

Until January, he worked for a pipeline trade group.

One proposal cribs language from his old employer.

Overseeing all of this are dozens of Trump appointees who used to work in industries regulated by DOT: lobbyists, consultants, CEOs, trade group lawyers and more.

Some of them disclosed $12M to $52M in financial interests in transportation companies and adjacent industries.

Take road safety. The last admin pushed rules for speed limiters+side guards in big rigs and automatic emergency braking in cars+trucks—est. to save 1k lives annually.

After industry blowback, the Trump admin has killed, made plans to weaken or signaled delays/changes for each.

DOT is on an unprecedented deregulatory blitz. The Trump admin calls this cutting red tape. Left unmentioned is just how many of the targeted rules sought to prevent deaths/injuries.

"The regulations are written in blood," one former official told me. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

ProPublica is publishing the rule drafts in their entirety:

Work requirements and term limits: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Mixed-status families: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

The rules from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would allow major changes to public housing and Section 8 vouchers:

- full-time work requirements
- 2-year time limits
- stripping aid from whole families if one member is in the country illegally

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

9/ @jessecoburn.bsky.social is concerned about how shifting HUD and DOT policies — such as restrictive zoning laws or highway expansions — will affect those who depend on affordable housing and public transit.

Reach out to him if you work for or are impacted by these agencies.

Co-published with Curbed! www.curbed.com/article/elec...