President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he has nominated former Wisconsin Congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy to serve as the next Secretary of Transportation, Al Jazeera reports.
Duffy, who co-hosts Fox Business’s The Bottom Line, represented Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2019.
In a statement, Trump hailed Duffy as a “tremendous and well-liked public servant,” predicting his leadership would usher in a “golden age of travel.” Trump emphasized Duffy’s commitment to “excellence, competence, competitiveness and beauty” in rebuilding America’s infrastructure, including highways, tunnels, bridges, and airports. He also highlighted Duffy’s role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of ports and dams while prioritizing national security.
A key aspect of Trump’s announcement focused on Duffy’s pledge to address what the President-elect termed the detrimental effects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs within the aviation sector. Trump said that Duffy would work to “make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers,” echoing conservative critiques of such initiatives.
Duffy, who left Congress in 2019 to spend more time with his family, is the second Fox News personality chosen for a cabinet position by Trump, following the selection of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. This nomination comes at a critical juncture for the US transportation sector, which faces challenges including a post-pandemic surge in traffic fatalities, ongoing quality control concerns at Boeing, and heightened rail safety anxieties following the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment.
If confirmed by the Senate, Duffy will oversee a vast department employing around 55,000 people and encompassing numerous agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These agencies regulate a wide range of transportation aspects, from air travel and rail safety to automobile manufacturing, impacting companies such as Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk has been nominated to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”
A staunch Trump supporter throughout his political career and on Fox News, Duffy succeeds Pete Buttigieg, President Biden’s appointee. Trump previously urged Duffy to run for Wisconsin governor in 2022, but Duffy declined the offer. Before entering politics, Duffy achieved recognition for his appearances on MTV’s The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: All Stars in the 1990s.
