THE president-elect of the United States, Mr Donald Trump, has nominated former Republican congressman, Mr Sean Duffy, as the next US transportation secretary.
Duffy, 53, served in the US House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, representing Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, and served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and on the House Committee on Financial Services.
Duffy has co-hosted The Bottom Line on US tv channel Fox Business since 2019 and joined Fox News as a contributor in 2020. He first came to the public’s attention on MTV’s The Real World: Boston in 1997. He is also formerly a professional lumberjack athlete and a co-commentator on sports network ESPN.
Much like current US transportation secretary, Mr Pete Buttigieg, Duffy brings little to no practical or professional transport experience to the job. His appointment will have to be confirmed by the US Senate.
Trump, in a statement that made no mention of rail transport, praised Duffy as a “tremendous and well-liked public servant” and “a respected voice and communicator" in the Republican Party.
“He will prioritise excellence, competence, competitiveness and beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports,” Trump said. “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 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for pilots and air traffic controllers.”
Response
The Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Public Transportation Association (Apta) and federally-funded national passenger operator Amtrak all issued statements congratulating Duffy and pledged to work alongside the new transportation secretary.
AAR president and CEO, Mr Ian Jefferies, says the US freight railways are “committed to partnering with the incoming administration and USDOT to improve safety and strengthen supply chains nationwide.”
“We look forward to working with secretary-designee Duffy upon his confirmation, focusing on shared priorities essential to our nation’s success: ensuring safe, efficient transportation that reduces costs, bolsters domestic manufacturing, and enhances competitiveness,” Jefferies says.
“Amtrak is excited to work with transportation secretary designee Sean Duffy as more Americans choose to travel on Amtrak trains than ever before,” says Amtrak CEO, Mr Stephen Gardner.
“Amtrak is building bridges, tunnels, and other major infrastructure projects and buying new American-made trains that will elevate the travel experience, revitalise the economy, create jobs, and transform inter-city passenger rail for this great country. We look forward to working with representative Duffy, president-elect Trump, and Congress as we strengthen this country’s transportation network and grow the economy.”
“We look forward to working together on the critical mission to rebuild America’s transportation infrastructure, grow our economy, and drive innovation with cutting-edge technology,” says Apta president, Mr Paul Skoutelas.
“Our members directly employ 430,000 people and support millions of private-sector jobs across all 50 states. And public transit provides access to opportunities - jobs, education, and healthcare - to millions of Americans every day.
