Senate Confirms Duffy as Transportation Secretary

What happened: By a 77-22 vote, the U.S. Senate Jan. 28 confirmed former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) to serve as the 20^th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). Many Democrats reportedly voted against Duffy to protest the Office of Management and Budget spending pause.

Why it matters: “Sean Duffy’s decisive confirmation as secretary is a testament that bipartisanship remains key to advancing meaningful transportation policy,” said ARTBA President and CEO Dave Bauer in a statement. “We are eager to partner with him and the U.S. Department of Transportation team to highlight the vital economic and safety benefits of robust federal investment in highways, bridges, public transit, and airports, and to reduce the regulatory burdens that increase project costs and delays.”

At his Senate confirmation hearing Jan. 15, Duffy promised to make building big projects a top priority. He also pledged to prioritize renewing the assignment of National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities to the states—known as NEPA delegation—to get projects moving faster. Duffy also committed to working with Congress to strengthen safety measures for highway construction workers.

What’s next: Filling out the rest of the crucial posts in the Trump administration’s Transportation Department will be at the top of Duffy’s to-do list in the coming weeks and months. These include the administrators of the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration, jobs that are now filled by interim officials.