Sean Duffy on aviation safety

About Sean Duffy

During a House Transportation Committee hearing on May 20, 2026, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was questioned by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) about the Department of Transportation's review of the Gateway rail project for civil rights violations. Duffy stated that the project sponsors have been cooperative and that the review is working through "finer details," adding that the matter has become "more of a litigation issue." He affirmed the project's importance, calling it "the largest project in the Western Hemisphere" and noting that the department had announced plans to rebuild Penn Station, which he said would not make sense without Gateway. Duffy attributed the review to a finding that the project's approach had used race or sex as the only factor, which he said the Supreme Court had ruled impermissible. In a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on May 19, 2026, Duffy faced criticism from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) over his "Great American Road Trip" promotion, which she argued was inappropriate amid rising gas prices. Duffy defended the initiative as an effort to encourage Americans to travel and unite the country, describing it as a two-day project officially part of America 250. During the same hearing, Duffy discussed infrastructure funding, noting that the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2025 report card gave U.S. infrastructure an overall C, which he said was "just above failing." He also addressed concerns about the proposed budget, stating that returning to 2021 funding levels would cost 344,000 jobs and $5 trillion in economic output, and that the administration had worked with states to cancel 28,000 illegally issued licenses for unqualified foreign drivers.

Profile compiled from Sean Duffy's verified public interviews and appearances. See all quotes & transcripts →