Senate panel unanimously advances Trump pick to run DOT

A Senate panel unanimously advanced President Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Transportation (DOT), former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), on Wednesday.

Duffy, the former five-term Republican congressman, was advanced out of committee with a 28-0 vote during a brief Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing.

“He will work, as Senator [Tammy] Baldwin [D-Wis.] said, with both sides of the aisle to improve our infrastructure and address the challenges that arise in years ahead. Most importantly, Congressman Duffy’s personal experiences, his wife Rachel’s head on-crash, his dedication to raising a daughter with a disability show that he appreciates the responsibility of the role,” panel Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday.

The panel’s ranking member, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), said Wednesday that in subsequent meetings with Duffy since last week’s confirmation hearing she has had an “opportunity to talk about the many things that are important, not just to my state, but to the nation on [building] a strong and resilient transportation network that allows us to compete in a global economy.”

Cantwell noted she remains “concerned about Project 2025 and this administration’s war against electric vehicles.”

“I think the Project 2025 derogatory language, with respect to transportation, raises some serious questions. But I’m sure that will go on in a long debate well past today’s hearing,” she said, referencing the right-wing policy framework developed by the Heritage Foundation.

She brought up the policy playbook during Duffy’s hearing last week when discussing the Essential Air Service, a program Project 2025 called to eliminate. Duffy said he has never read the framework, “so I am not sure what’s in it.”

Duffy told senators during the hearing last week that if he is confirmed as the head of DOT, he will focus on aviation safety, highway safety, tackling the shortage of air traffic controllers and working on gaining back public trust in Boeing, the plane manufacturing giant that dealt with multiple scandals during 2024.

The former Wisconsin lawmaker said he would work with the Federal Aviation Administration and Congress to “restore global confidence in Boeing and to ensure our skies are safe.”

“In one of my meetings someone said ... they need tough love, which is what they do need,” he said.

Duffy, a former lobbyist, also told lawmakers that he would allow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to continue its probe into Tesla over the car company’s Full Self-Driving software.

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