Trump taps ex-lawmaker and Fox Business host for transportation secretary

US president-elect says erstwhile Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy volition usher successful a ‘golden property of travel’.

United States President-elect Donald Trump has named a erstwhile congressman-turned-Fox Business big arsenic his prime for proscription secretary.

In a connection announcing the information connected Monday, Trump described Sean Duffy arsenic a “tremendous and well-liked nationalist servant” who volition usher successful a “golden property of travel”.

“He volition prioritise excellence, competence, competitiveness and quality erstwhile rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports,” Trump said.

“He volition guarantee our ports and dams service our system without compromising our nationalist security, and helium volition marque our skies harmless again by eliminating DEI for pilots and aerial postulation controllers,” Trump added, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion programmes successful the workplace, which conservatives assertion prioritise characteristics specified arsenic contention and sex supra merit and performance.

Duffy, who near Congress successful 2019 citing the request to walk much clip with his family, is the 2nd Fox big to beryllium tapped by Trump, aft the defence caput pick, Pete Hegseth.

Trump’s information of Duffy, a co-host of Fox Business’s The Bottom Line who represented a territory successful Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019, comes arsenic the US proscription assemblage is facing challenges – ranging from a post-COVID spike successful roadworthy deaths and prime power issues astatine aircraft elephantine Boeing to questions astir obstruction information pursuing the 2023 train derailment successful East Palestine, Ohio.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Duffy volition oversee a sprawling section that employs immoderate 55,000 radical and operates astir a twelve transport-related administrations and bureaus.

The agencies nether the department’s remit see the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates carmakers specified arsenic Tesla, tally by billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tapped to pb a “Department of Government Efficiency” successful the incoming administration.

Duffy, an ardent defender of Trump some successful Congress and connected Fox, would win Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was nominated by President Joe Biden.

Trump antecedently encouraged Duffy to tally successful Wisconsin’s 2022 gubernatorial election, praising him arsenic “virtually unbeatable,” but the erstwhile congressman declined.

Before entering politics, Duffy gained designation successful the 1990s arsenic a prima of MTV’s The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: All Stars.