Three key Washington policy issues impacting the auto industry in 2019

The start of 2019, which also marks the start of the new 116^th Congress, finds much of the federal government shut down due to a dispute over President Trump’s proposed wall on the US-Mexico border. The partial shutdown has virtually shuttered several federal agencies, including many involved in automotive industry regulation. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors have been furloughed or are being required to work without pay, and the shutdown is starting to have a negative impact on the US economy. The shutdown, which is already the longest in US history, shows no sign of ending soon.

It thus may not seem like the most propitious time to look at what the year ahead holds for the automotive industry in Washington. But