WASHINGTON — President-elect Trump has chosen former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy as his nominee for Secretary of Transportation. Duffy, 53, currently serves as a co-host of Fox Business’ The Bottom Line broadcast and is a frequent contributor to the network. He left politics in 2019 to care for his newborn daughter.
Duffy served as a Congressman for Wisconsin’s 7th District — which covers much of the northern part of the state — from 2011 until 2019; before that, he was a district attorney in Ashland County, which is part of that congressional district. During his tenure is Congress, he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and served on the House Committee on Financial Services. He was also a member of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-sponsored Enterprises, the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, and the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity.
“[Duffy] will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness, and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports,” Trump said in a statement. “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 initiatives] for pilots and air traffic controllers.”
Duffy did not serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; however, he co-sponsored a number of transportation-related legislation, including rail.
He sponsored H.R. Bill 354 in 2015 to impose a $10,000 civil penalty against railroads for each hour a train occupies a blocked grade crossing, and he was one of six co-sponsors supporting a bill that would allow railroad employees to remain on duty in excess of the current hours-of-service requirements to clear trains of blocked grade crossings. Neither piece of legislation passed the House.
In 2017, the former Congressman also voted to amend H.R. Bill 335, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, which would have eliminated funding for Amtrak’s national network. The amendment ultimately failed.
— Trains News Wire will update this story as more information becomes available.
