The Trump administration has picked a "Road Rules: All Stars" alum to supervise the nation's road network — but some transportation advocates are worried that his history of climate denialism, Trump loyalism and budget hawkishness make him, in the words of one, an "extremely troubling" pick.
On Monday, the President-elect announced that newly resigned Fox News host, former Republican congressman and fellow reality TV veteran Sean Duffy would be his pick for Secretary of Transportation, offering over-capitalized praise for the Wisconsin native's ability to "prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America's highways, tunnels, bridges and airports."
Transit, bike lanes, and sidewalks were not mentioned in the release.
The selection set off alarm bells among transportation reform advocates, many of whom pointed out that Duffy had a lifetime score of just 2 percent from the League of Conservation Voters, had suggested as recently as last week that climate change might be caused by the sun rather than human behavior, and had sponsored next to no legislation related to transportation apart from a few marginal bills related to logging vehicles and railroad shift changes. (His background as a particularly problematic cast member on "The Real World: Boston" and several of its spinoffs also raised eyebrows.)
"Duffy is an extremely troubling choice to lead DOT, and his lack of relevant experience suggests he may have been picked for his loyalty to Trump’s dangerous agenda rather than for any history or expertise with transportation," Saul Levin of the Green New Deal Network said in a statement. "Duffy’s tenuous understanding of basic facts about climate science suggests he isn’t well positioned in the least to build a transportation system that ensures clean air and water for all.”
That lack of transportation expertise, though, might be a feature and not a bug, especially if the Trump administration intends to ignore the needs of non-automotive modes — and the devastating consequences of car domination — as much as its press release suggests.
"We know enough about [Duffy's] other views that those who are worried about sustainable transportation should be quite worried about him becoming Secretary," said Yonah Freemark principal research associate at the Urban Institute.
If confirmed for the role, Duffy will be responsible for supervising an annual budget of about $100 billion, including the dispersal of billions in surface transportation funding guaranteed under the last years of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — about 20 percent of which are awarded as grants at the sole discretion of the Secretary. The last time the Trump administration held those purse strings, it disproportionately favored rural road expansion projects in white communities, according to a recent Urban Institute analysis of one key grant program.
As Secretary, Duffy would also have final say over regulating automakers, including setting vehicle fuel efficiency standards — which the first Trump administration already rolled back once — and a proposed new rule aimed at reducing head injuries for pedestrians who are struck by drivers which hasn't yet been finalized, which advocates widely expect the next administration to kill.
Duffy's own wife and the mother of his nine children, fellow Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, was seriously injured when another driver fell asleep at the wheel and struck the vehicle in which she was traveling, killing two other passengers in the car and ejecting her through one of its windows. Now, her husband could supervise the implementation of a proposed rule that could sense and prevent fatigued driving — or work with Congress to rescind it.
"I hope he recognizes the weight of the decisions he's going to make, and how that can absolutely devastate families and communities," said Mike McGinn, executive director of America Walks. "Or he can make decisions that leads to a better quality of life and more well being for everyone."
Perhaps most critically, Duffy would also play a key role in negotiating the transportation legislation that will replace Bipartisan Infrastructure Law when it expires in 2026. And if his old campaign ads threatening to "bring the axe to Washington" are any indication, he is likely to push for significant cuts.
That ad may have been referencing Duffy's days as a lumberjack sports champion who took home titles in "competitive log-rolling" and "speed-climbing," among others. Freemark is concerned, though, that it could soon become a far more sinister policy strategy, especially if the Trump administration makes good on its threat to challenge long-standing federal laws against withholding congressionally approved funds from programs the administration doesn't support.
Those laws were introduced after President Nixon abused his presidential power to "impound" money from disaster relief efforts, housing programs, and more. But Freemark fears that Trump will take advantage of the Republican trifecta in the House and the Senate to challenge that precedent, and possibly even take it to the courts.
"If they do that, that could be extremely damaging," he added. "It could mean a major reduction in public transportation spending."
Still, some noted that Duffy himself is a bit of a blank slate — and he might offer some surprises. His background as a rural congressman could bode well for his ability to recognize the unique transportation challenges of Americans outside of urban areas, who disproportionately die in car crashes, and often have surprisingly high percentages of households without access to a vehicle.
The surface transportation reauthorization, meanwhile, could be the perfect opportunity for Duffy to make good on his budget-hawk reputation and reckon with the fact that America simply can't afford to keep growing its autocentric road network.
"I've been thinking about the highway trust fund, and the fact that it is heavily subsidized by the general fund," added McGinn. "How will Congress deal with that fact as it faces the reauthorization? Will it continue with a wasteful and destructive status quo? Or will it take a hard look at whether it wants to keep subsidizing highway expansion?"
And considering that even the most popular past transportation secretaries still haven't done enough to confront car dependency, some say America is ready for a new ideas.
"For over 30 years, promises about what our transportation system can deliver have fallen short, failing Americans," Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, said in a statement to Streetsblog. "Too many people are dying on our roads, commutes are longer, choices are meager, congestion is worse, and the system continues to harm communities and public health. While Sean Duffy has little experience in transportation, that could mean he will bring a fresh perspective to the status quo — or he may struggle to pull the appropriate levers to drive much-needed change.
"Right now, his approach to transportation is unknown," Osborne continued. "If he’s ready to prioritize safety over speed, adopt a 'fix-it-first' approach to our crumbling roads and bridges, and invest in transportation options that work for every American, we will be very excited to work with him."
