Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choose to guide the Division of Transportation, acquired bipartisan assist from lawmakers Wednesday after promising to proceed efforts to enhance freeway security and handle challenges to the nation’s aviation system it’s confirmed.
At his affirmation listening to Wednesday earlier than the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Mr. Duffy was requested a couple of vary of subjects, from continued oversight of Boeing as to whether electrical car drivers ought to contribute to the freeway belief fund.
Mr. Duffy, 53, has a assorted background, having been a Fox Enterprise host, a Wisconsin lawmaker, a Washington lobbyist, a prosecutor and, when he was youthful, a actuality TV persona. However he has little expertise in transportation or managing giant organizations.
But no senator requested significantly robust questions. Committee members from each events appeared keen to speak about infrastructure initiatives affecting their areas, with Mr. Duffy agreeing to go to the states they characterize within the coming yr.
Wisconsin’s two senators — Tammy Baldwin, Democrat, and Ron Johnson, Republican — launched Mr. Duffy in an expression of bipartisan assist.
“I consider he’ll assist Wisconsin households, companies and staff, and I hope he’ll work with this committee and either side of the aisle to enhance our infrastructure and handle the challenges that may come up within the years to return,” Ms. Baldwin mentioned. mentioned.
If accepted by the Senate, Mr. Duffy would inherit an company with a finances of greater than $100 billion that has been within the highlight following a lot of high-profile incidents . Final yr, a cargo ship struck and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and a collection of near-misses at US airports has sparked new issues about aviation security. The yr earlier than, the derailment of a freight prepare carrying hazardous supplies in East Palestine, Ohio, sparked requires a safer rail business.
Mr. Duffy, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2019, can be accountable for overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.
All through the listening to, Mr. Duffy mentioned he would attempt to take away pointless obstacles that decelerate vital infrastructure initiatives to attain one in every of Mr. Trump’s mandates: “concentrate on large initiatives sustainable developments that join our nation and our folks.”
“If confirmed as Secretary of Transportation, I’ll work tirelessly to make journey in America extra environment friendly, extra comfy and safer,” he mentioned.
Senators’ questions on nationwide issues targeted totally on air and street security.
Senator Deb Fischer, Republican of Nebraska, requested whether or not Mr. Duffy thought electrical car house owners ought to contribute to the Freeway Belief Fund. The federal fund funds the nation’s transportation infrastructure, primarily via taxes on gasoline, diesel and different fuels that electrical autos do not devour.
“They need to pay for using our roads,” Mr. Duffy advised the Senate committee, though he added that discovering a means to try this can be troublesome.
Mr Duffy mentioned air and street security can be the highest precedence throughout his time period.
He additionally wrote about growing the variety of air visitors controllers, a workforce that has lengthy confronted power shortages. Neither his remarks nor his testimony on the listening to clarified how he would recruit and retain extra controllers in vital areas like New York, as the subsequent Republican-led administration has promised sweeping cuts throughout all sectors of the federal government.
Mr. Duffy additionally answered questions on restoring public confidence in Boeing.
Underneath Mr. Trump’s earlier administration, two Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashes killed 346 folks in 2018 and 2019, resulting in accountability at one in every of America’s most storied corporations. The FAA additional intensified its overview of Boeing’s manufacturing practices after the door panel of one of many 737 Max planes exploded throughout a January 2024 flight.
Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the highest Democrat and former chairwoman of the committee, requested Mr. Duffy whether or not there ought to be a compulsory security administration system for producers. She mentioned these methods are essential for continued security enchancment.
Ms. Cantwell mentioned earlier administrations didn’t concentrate on creating a robust security tradition, which the FAA is now pushing Boeing to undertake. Boeing is headquartered in Seattle and is among the largest employers in Ms. Cantwell’s state. Mr. Duffy mentioned he supported the thought if it might assist enhance security at Boeing.
“Boeing is the most important exporter of American merchandise, which is extremely vital,” Mr. Duffy mentioned. “Throughout one in every of my conferences, somebody advised me they want robust love, and that’s what they really want.”
Like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg when he arrived 4 years in the past, Mr. Duffy doesn’t convey a lot experience within the discipline. What he owns primarily stems from his years of lobbying, as a few of his purchasers had been a part of or concerned within the transportation sector.
Throughout his 4 years with the BGR Group, a Washington lobbying agency, Mr. Duffy represented 10 purchasers, in response to Senate Depositsstarting from accounting agency Marcum LLP to Diem Networks, a digital foreign money initiative owned on the time by Meta.
In early 2020, Mr. Duffy signed as much as characterize the Open Skies Partnership, a coalition of nationwide carriers funded by United Airways, American Airways and Delta Air Traces.
The partnership was supposed to steer the U.S. authorities to assist home airways compete with their Center Jap counterparts, who on the time had been receiving subsidies from their very own governments that U.S. carriers mentioned allowed them to journey extra cheaply. price to overseas locations. However the initiative failed after the pandemic paralyzed air journey, and the contract with BGR was canceled. finished after 1 / 4.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the Republican who heads the Commerce Committee, mentioned on the listening to that Mr. Duffy had labored with each events to safe funding for the St. Croix Crossing, which changed a bridge out of date and harmful route between Wisconsin and Minnesota, and that he had helped enhance port infrastructure whereas serving on the Nice Lakes Job Power.
Kenneth P. Vogel reviews contributed.
