Trump picks former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy for DOT secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has tabbed a former congressman and current Fox News personality Sean Duffy to fill the role of Transportation Secretary, replacing current DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“I am pleased to announce that former Congressman Sean Duffy, from the Great State of Wisconsin, is nominated to serve as the Secretary of Transportation,” Trump said in a statement. “Sean has been a tremendous and well-liked public servant, starting his career as a District Attorney for Ashland, Wis., and later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.”

The president-elect’s selection of Duffy for Secretary of Transportation should not face much controversy during Senate confirmation hearings.

Incoming Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) management of his caucus will face an early test when it comes to how much deference to give to the president to complete his cabinet. Some picks, including ex-Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for the Department of Justice, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services head and Peter Hegseth to lead the Defense Department, as well as former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, have already sparked concern from some GOP senators. Duffy is not expected to generate as much concern.

The secretary of transportation oversees the 55,000-person DOT, which has 13 agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Railroad Administration and the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. In the current fiscal year, the Department of Transportation had $274.67 billion to distribute to states and agencies.

The previous transportation secretaries have been Alan Boyd, John Volpe, Claude Brinegar, William Coleman Jr., Brock Adams, Neil Goldschmidt, Drew Lewis, Elizabeth Dole, James H. Burnley IV, Samuel K. Skinner, Andrew Card, Federico Pena, Rodney Slater, Norm Mineta, Mary Peters, Ray LaHood, Anthony Foxx, Elaine Chao and Buttigieg.

Like Trump, Duffy is a former reality TV star, getting his start as one of the original cast members on MTV’s The Real World: Boston in 1997 and also competing on MTV’s Road Rules: All Stars. He married Rachel Campos, herself a MTV Real World star. Rachel Campos-Duffy is a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend. They have nine children.

Duffy was elected to the House in 2010 and served for eight years. He was hosting a show on Fox Business until this week.

Duffy left the House in late 2019 after learning that one of his children had a heart condition. He has historically been a supporter of the president-elect. He backed up Trump’s controversial 2017 executive order on immigration imposing a 90-day ban on residents of seven mostly Muslim countries from coming into the U.S.

In his statement, Trump said Duffy “was a respected voice and communicator” in the Republican Conference advocating for “Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth and Rural Development” while in Congress.

While in Congress, Duffy served on the House Committee on Financial Services. He was appointed Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in November 2014. Prior to Congress, Duffy served as district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin.

Among past jobs, Duffy had been an ESPN color commentator for televised competitions. In 2003, he appeared as both a competitor and commentator on ESPN's Great Outdoor Games. He was named Badger State Games Honorary Athlete of the 2004 Winter Games.

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