Trump Appoints Sean Duffy to Lead the Transportation Department

In a recent development, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation. The appointment comes amidst promises of a focus being put on safety, efficiency, and innovation.

Duffy is a Republican who represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District during the years 2011 to 2019 after which he resigned. Prior to his role in the Congressional District, he performed duties as the district attorney in Ashland County, Wisconsin. Lately, he has been associated with Fox News, where he is a co-host on the show The Bottom Line on Fox Business.

Industry reaction to the latest development has been pouring in. The news of the new nomination was released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

AASHTO executive director, Jim Tymon said “As a former member of Congress, Sean Duffy understands how to navigate the political landscape in Washington to get things done, something that we will need in the next leader of the U.S. Department of Transportation as we begin the process of reauthorizing the federal surface transportation programs”.

Tymon added:

“Every state department of transportation in the country is currently hard at work improving safety and quality of life in their communities one project at a time. This is made possible through the federal-state partnership that has existed for over 100 years. We look forward to working with the Secretary-designee as well as the Trump administration to ensure the continued delivery of a safe, efficient, multimodal transportation system for all.”

On the other hand, the Public Affairs & Workforce of Associated General Contractors of America VP, Brian Turmail, spoke to a construction news outlet, the Equipment World. He said that they were looking forward to working with Duffy. He expressed particular interest in exploring “ways to accelerate the reviews needed so construction can begin on many of the transportation projects where funding has been announced but construction has been delayed by red tape.”

He mentioned that they were “eager to work with the next DOT secretary and the incoming administration to craft a more pragmatic approach to the Buy America rules.”

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) also had something to add. Its President and CEO Dave Bauer said:

“ARTBA congratulates Rep. Sean Duffy on his pending nomination to be U.S. Secretary of Transportation. If confirmed, Rep. Duffy will be leading the Department of Transportation at a critical time, including continued deployment of record levels of federal highway, public transportation and airport infrastructure investments, and reauthorization of the surface transportation programs scheduled for 2026.

“While in Congress, Rep. Duffy worked on a number of transportation issues important to his state and region. In many of his public statements and actions, he reaffirmed the effectiveness of bipartisanship to ensure continued federal investments, and getting projects done. Rep. Duffy also stayed in regular contact with several ARTBA members in Wisconsin to better understand issues facing the transportation construction industry and its allies.

“ARTBA looks forward to partnering with Secretary-designate Duffy and the Trump administration as we work to keep Americans and our economy moving forward through an improved, safer transportation infrastructure network.”

Duffy during his role at the Congress took part in passing some transportation-related bills. These included stopping the EPA Overreach Act of 2015 and cosponsoring the passing of the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2013.

Trump while announcing the new appointment said that he “will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports. He will ensure our ports and dams serve our Economy without compromising our National Security, and he will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] for pilots and air traffic controllers.

“Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”

Duffy responded to the confidence shown in him by the new President-elect by saying, “Thank you, Mr. President. I’m eager to help you usher in a new golden age of transportation.”

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