Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Transportation Department, sailed through a Senate hearing Wednesday as he received praise from both sides of the aisle during his confirmation hearing before a key panel.
The former congressman and Fox News host emphasized that aviation and roadway safety are his top priorities along with restoring trust in U.S. planemaker Boeing following an incident in which a 737 Max 9 passenger jet lost a door plug in early 2024. Two Boeing 727 Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 also put the company under the microscope.
“As a father of nine, I think a lot about transportation, especially safety,” Duffy said in his opening statement, with his family seated behind him.
“My son, John-Paul, drives his younger siblings to school — a car full of precious cargo,” Duffy added. “Whether driving, flying, or traveling by train, no federal agency impacts Americans’ daily lives and their loved ones more than the Department of Transportation. I am honored to have the trust of President Trump, and hopefully this body, to lead such an important segment of our economy.”
Duffy introduces his family to the committee, who are seated behind him: “I would take a moment I'd like to introduce my family my wife, Rachel and nine children. Rachel and I met on a reality TV show kind of unique most people have that we've been married for 25 years.” pic.twitter.com/TcbC5gyKGn
— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) January 15, 2025
Duffy was introduced to the committee by Wisconsin’s bipartisan senators, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ron Johnson (R-WI). The two have committed to supporting his nomination, an indication that suggests an easy road to confirmation.
Baldwin reflected on her time working with Duffy as a member of the Wisconsin delegation coming together to secure funding for the St. Croix Crossing, which replaced an outdated bridge between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“This type of bipartisan work for the American people is what I expect to see from Sean should he be confirmed,” Baldwin said in her introduction. “Our efforts show that when we work together, we get important things done. At the end of the day, I am confident Sean is the right person for this job.”
The senators on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, including many Democrats, embraced Duffy’s background, which includes working as a lobbyist in Washington, a district attorney, and a former The Real World: Boston cast member, which is how he met his now-wife when he was younger.
“Mr. Duffy will promote a leaner, more efficient DOT, eliminating onerous regulations while responsibly investing in the nation’s infrastructure and ensuring safety,” commerce committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in his opening statement.
.@SenTedCruz: “Sean Duffy is a dedicated public servant who is qualified to lead this important department, in addition to nearly a decade of service as NW Wisconsin representative…He is a former prosecutor, a family man & someone cares deeply about the future of this country.” pic.twitter.com/Le1PVLDJvf
— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) January 15, 2025
Duffy, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2019, does not have a background in transportation, similar to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg when he arrived four years ago.
At one point, when the top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), questioned Duffy about the need for an effective safety management system at Boeing before realizing she had to explain the concept further.
“You can take this for the record, safety management systems are a redundant circle of continued safety improvements that the expert panel has suggested that we do,” Cantwell explained.
“I think in the prior administrations, people didn’t really push for a strong safety management culture, and I think that’s what we’re still pushing to make sure. … It’s exactly what the FAA is saying Boeing should do, but we have to push,” she said.
Duffy replied that he was on board and committed to having a “better safety record at home.”
The previous confirmation votes for transportation secretaries have been overwhelmingly bipartisan. Buttiegieg was confirmed 86-13, and Elaine Chao, Trump’s nominee in 2017, was confirmed 93-6. Duffy said he will continue to operate in the long tradition of bipartisanship when it comes to transportation policy.
“I don’t think safety is a partisan issue,” Duffy said. “The projects we talk about in your offices and we’ll talk about today, those aren’t partisan projects. Infrastructure is not partisan, so I’m committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to make sure we are looking at the best projects and the safest record.”
In a lighter moment during questioning with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Duffy joked that the senator “mandated” that he visit Hawaii.
“I will issue my demand letter shortly,” Schatz said with a laugh, to which Cruz joked the entire panel should attend.
Duffy has not been a fan of the current administration’s support for electric vehicles and could have the authority to scale back programs implemented under President Joe Biden. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) asked whether Duffy believed the Transportation Department should address the fact that those who drive electric vehicles do not pay into the highway trust fund. Most revenue for federally funded road repairs is collected through taxes on gasoline.
“They should pay for use of our roads,” Duffy said. “How to do that, I think, is a little more challenging.”
Last year, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle discussed raising the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 in an effort to expand the pilot workforce. The measure faced opponents in both parties, and the Biden administration argued that the change could affect safety and cause headaches because pilots older than 65 are unable to fly internationally. The measure was taken out of the FAA authorization bill.
The House passed its version of the bill 351-69 in July 2024. Its version would keep standards for pilot training the same after blocking a proposed change floated by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO).
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asked Duffy to discuss raising the commercial pilot retirement age, to which he responded that he welcomed the opportunity to work with her.
Duffy appealed to senators representing rural states, drawing on his experience as a congressman representing a district in the heartland. He faced questions over his votes in the House against funding for Amtrak from freshman Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), but Duffy stressed that those votes do not represent his current views.
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“Some of you in the committee have brought up my votes where I didn’t vote for Amtrak funding,” Duffy said. “I would just note I did represent northern Wisconsin. We don’t have any Amtrak, and my old constituents would bring that up in my town halls.
“This committee has spoken loudly about Amtrak and rail in their home communities, and so I’m going to continue to work with the committee and abide by the law, enforce the law, and implement the law as passed by this body,” he added.