Office of the Secretary develops and evaluates public policy related to the transportation industries and their economic regulation; assures that the Department's regulatory programs remain consistent with established policy and maintains oversight of all departmental safety regulatory actions; proposes and coordinates on transportation-related legislation involving the private sector; provides analyses of current and emerging transportation policy issues to assess their economic and institutional implication, particularly with regard to Federal assistance, public trust funds, user charges, nondiscrimination of the handicapped in the provision of public transportation services, and energy and environmental aspects; undertakes studies and analyses to aid in the resolution of safety problems; develops policies to support the Department in aviation and maritime multilateral and bilateral negotiations with foreign governments and participates on the U.S. negotiating delegations; develops policies on a wide range of international transportation and trade matters; furnishes guidance to the United States Trade Representative's Trade Policy Committee in efforts to improve the U.S. balance of payments; coordinates efforts to combat transport-related terrorist acts and drug smuggling; arranges and coordinates cooperative agreements with foreign governments for the exchange of state-of-the-art scientific and technical information; provides assistance to the Agency for International Development's transportation programs in developing countries; and participates on the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation. The Assistant Secretary also: develops, coordinates, and carries out U.S. Government policy relating to the economic regulation of the airline industry, including licensing of U.S. and foreign carriers to serve in international air transportation and carrier fitness determinations; processes and resolves complaints concerning unfair competitive practices in international fares, rates, and tariff filings; establishes international and intra-Alaska mail rates; and determines the disposition of requests for approval and immunization from the antitrust laws of international aviation agreements. The Assistant Secretary also administers the essential air service program, which involves: establishing appropriate subsidy levels for subsidized carriers; processing applications to terminate, suspend, or reduce air service below the defined essential level; determining which carrier among various applicants should be selected to provide subsidized service; and continuously reviewing essential air service definitions for each community.