The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the Transportation Department, former Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, on Tuesday afternoon.
Duffy appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee this month and outlined his priorities for the Transportation Department, including aviation and highway safety, addressing the air traffic controller shortage, and restoring trust in Boeing following several major scandals.
The Transportation secretary pick was confirmed by a bipartisan vote of 77 to 22.
Duffy amassed the support of two dozen Democratic senators on the final vote, in addition to the entire Republican conference.
“No federal agency impacts Americans’ daily lives and loved ones like the Department of Transportation,” Duffy told lawmakers on Jan. 15 at his confirmation hearing.
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“We want the best and the brightest air traffic controllers. We must modernize our systems with cutting edge technologies. I’ll work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing, and to ensure that our skies are safe,” he said.
He also pledged to address rebuilding Interstate 40 that runs from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Barstow, California. Parts of the interstate are still washed out across the Great Smoky Mountains following Hurricane Helene in September.
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“We’re continuing to try to work through this process to get that rebuilt, but we need to know this will be front and center with you so we can get that interstate rebuilt and reopened,” Duffy said.
Additionally, Duffy promised Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation into Tesla’s self-driving software that launched this month would continue under his watch.
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Duffy represented Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district for five terms before joining Fox News, where he co-hosted “The Bottom Line” with Dagen McDowell on FOX Business.
Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
