The St. Croix Crossing: From Duffy to the Boeing Experiment and on Fox News, to the Senate Sessions on Transportation and Transportation
After leaving Congress, he worked at a lobbyist and as a contributor for Fox News. In a November post on Truth Social, President-elect Donald Trump praised Duffy as a’respected voice and communicator’.
The Department of Transportation includes the Federal Aviation Administration, which is in charge of the nation’s airspace, as well as agencies that regulate the nation’s railroads, and set safety standards for passenger cars, trucks and commercial vehicles.
That project required action by Congress to grant an exemption from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Duffy’s work to make that happen helped endear him to several Democrats in the Senate, including Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
More than a decade later, the St. Croix Crossing — and the relationships that the new bridge helped forge — came up several times Wednesday during Duffy’s confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Transportation.
“When I fly into Minneapolis and drive up to Hayward, where I was born and raised, I go across that bridge,” Duffy said during the hearing. I’m proud of the bipartisan work we did together, and I want to continue that work if I’m confirmed.
“Our efforts show that when we work together, we get important things done. In his introduction to the committee, Baldwin said that they hadn’t always agreed. I’m confident that Sean is the correct person for this job, at the end of the day.
At the confirmation hearing, Duffy committed to prioritizing safety on the roadways and in the air, and said he would “work to reduce the red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects, ensuring funds are spent efficiently.” He pledged to bring “tough love” to Boeing as regulators work to restore confidence in the struggling airplane maker. The air traffic controller shortage will be addressed by hiring only the best and the hardest-working for those jobs.
A number of his nominees have looked to Fox News. But few have as much experience on camera as Duffy, who starred on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. He met his future wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, a fellow Fox News contributor, when they both starred on another MTV reality show. The couple’s nine children and their mother attended Wednesday’s hearing.
Duffy noted that road safety is close to home for him because of how his wife has been affected by the fatal head-on car crash.
Source: Trump’s Cabinet pick for secretary of transportation is Sean Duffy. Here’s what to know
Bringing More Than Two Million dollars to Transportation? Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) asked if he’ll be traveling to Amtrak to Tennessee and North Carolina
The outgoing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also had little direct experience in transportation before taking the reins. Under Buttigieg, the department has handed out billions of dollars from the bipartisan infrastructure law to build roads and bridges, dig tunnels, modernize airports and more.
Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) asked specifically about funding for the Gateway Program, a multi-billion dollar project to replace a series of crumbling rail tunnels and bridges connecting northern New Jersey to Manhattan.
The department has a broad mandate and intersects with the business interests of Musk, the world’s richest man, who poured more than a billion dollars into President-elect Trump’s campaign.
Federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the DOT, are investigating crashes involving Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance systems. And safety advocates fear the Trump administration could move to end those investigations, along with a crash reporting requirement that Tesla opposes.
Senator Ed Markey asked if he’d allow traffic safety investigators to follow the evidence and operate objectively as part of their investigations.
The nominee was asked several times about his level of commitment to Amtrak — not only by Democratic senators from New Jersey and Delaware, but also by Republicans from Kansas and Mississippi.
If he’s confirmed, as appears likely, Duffy said his first trip as transportation secretary would be to the Appalachian mountain regions of Tennessee and North Carolina, where flooding from Hurricane Helene damaged major interstate highways along with countless smaller roads and bridges.
“This is an emergency,” Duffy said. I will do everything in my power to get the process moving so that these communities have access and roads are functional again.
Reply to ‘Trump’s Pick for Treasury Secretary is Scott Bessent. Here’s What to Know (after Biden and Wyden)
Bessent was asked at Thursday’s hearing if he agreed with Biden. Bessent did not directly answer the question.
In his farewell address on Wednesday evening, President Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
Bessent’s personal financial disclosures show he has assets worth at least $500 million. If confirmed, he would be a member of the wealthiest White House ever.
Bessent downplayed some of the concerns. At one point, Bessent was asked if he thought Donald Trump’s economic policies would lead to inflation.
“We want a tax code that gives everyone in America a chance to get ahead … and there’s a long way to go to get it done,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in his closing remarks.
Democrats pressed Bessent on the issue of the national deficit and the effects of tax cuts on income equality. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has estimated that extending the 2017 law would increase the national debt by more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years.
The Bessent Committee Chair: A Key Role of the Treasury Secretary in Advising President-Elect Donald Trump on Economic Policy and the Financial System
Over more than three hours, Bessent calmly fielded questions from Democrats and praise from Republicans. Sen. Mike Crapo, the Idaho Republican who now chairs the committee, praised Bessent for his “very, very straightforward, courteous, and honorable” responses, as well as his underlying qualifications for the job: “Your background, your training, everything is tailor-made for this role.”
The tax code was changed by the first administration of Trump. The changes will be largely expired this year and his second administration will have a chance to change tax policy for years to come.
Bessent said this was the most important economic issue of the day. “This is pass-fail. If we don’t fix the tax cuts, then we will be facing an economic calamity and there will be financial instability that falls on the middle and working class.
What does this role do: The Secretary of the Treasury advises on economic policy and the financial system. Bessent will be in charge of implementing Trump’s proposed economic policies.
You might know them from: The longtime investor and hedge fund manager was little known outside of Wall Street until he became one of the top economic advisers to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign.
