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The aviation industry was thrown a curveball on Nov. 18 when incoming President Donald Trump unexpectedly nominated former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy as his pick to lead the Department of Transportation (DOT). Duffy, a former reality television star and state district attorney who has co-hosted Fox Business’ “The Bottom Line” since December 2022, has a limited transportation portfolio with little to no formal aviation experience.
That lack of credentials isn’t necessarily uncommon. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the current transportation secretary, didn’t have significant transportation-specific leadership experience when he was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2020. However, he has since become one of the department’s most consequential leaders, reshaping airline consumer protection policies while managing the rollout of $1 trillion of funds for airport and sustainable infrastructure projects as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). In selecting Duffy, Trump passed over Republicans Rep. Sam Graves, current head of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as outgoing aviation subcommittee chair Rep. Garret Graves — two leaders, amongst other potential picks, with specific experience who were seen atop a shortlist for the job.
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“Nothing makes sense now,” said one Congressional staffer who spoke to The Air Current, unsure of how Duffy may approach the aviation and aerospace industries as regulator-in-chief, should he be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in the coming weeks. That sentiment, which was echoed by multiple aviation industry and government individuals with whom TAC spoke, signals the imminent legislative and regulatory reset that will occur when Duffy and the rest of Trump’s cabinet enter office in January.
Duffy’s recent comments on Fox when taken with his eight-year Congressional record point to his interest in potentially reshaping the fiscal link between government and industry that supports airport infrastructure, research and development, new entrants and more. Additionally, Duffy’s close alignment with Trump’s desire to significantly reduce the scope of the federal workforce could alter the broader bureaucracy that supports both the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration.
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