Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Transportation, received bipartisan support from lawmakers on Wednesday after promising to continue efforts to improve roadway safety and address challenges with the nation’s aviation system if confirmed.
During his confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Mr. Duffy was questioned on a range of topics, from the continuing oversight of Boeing to whether drivers of electric vehicles should contribute to the highway trust fund.
Mr. Duffy, 53, has a varied background, having been a Fox Business host, a lawmaker from Wisconsin, a lobbyist in Washington, a district attorney and, when younger, a reality television personality. But he has little experience in transportation or managing large organizations.
Yet no senator asked especially challenging questions. Committee members from both parties seemed eager to talk about infrastructure projects that affect their areas, with Mr. Duffy agreeing to visit the states they represent in the coming year.
The two senators from Wisconsin — Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, and Ron Johnson, a Republican — introduced Mr. Duffy in an expression of bipartisan support.
“I believe he will help deliver for Wisconsin families, businesses and workers, and I expect that he will work with this committee and both sides of the aisle to improve our infrastructure and address the challenges that arise in the years ahead,” Ms. Baldwin said.
If approved by the Senate, Mr. Duffy would inherit an agency with a budget of more than $100 billion that has been in the spotlight following a number of high-profile incidents. Last year, a cargo ship hit and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and a series of near collisions at U.S. airports prompted new concerns about aviation safety. The year before, the derailment of a freight train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, prompted calls to make the rail industry safer.
Mr. Duffy, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2019, would be tasked with overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.
Throughout the hearing, Mr. Duffy said he would try to eliminate unnecessary hurdles that slow critical infrastructure projects to achieve one of Mr. Trump’s mandates: to “focus on big, durable projects that connect our country and people.”
“If confirmed as secretary of transportation, I will work tirelessly to make travel in America more efficient, more comfortable and safer,” he said.
The questions from senators that pertained to national concerns focused primarily on aviation and road safety.
Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, asked whether Mr. Duffy thought owners of electric vehicles should contribute to the Highway Trust Fund. The federal fund finances the country’s transportation infrastructure, primarily through taxes on gas, diesel, and other motor fuels that electric vehicles do not consume.
“They should pay for use of our roads,” Mr. Duffy told the Senate panel, but added that figuring out a way to do that will be challenging.
Mr. Duffy stated that aviation and roadway safety would be top priorities during his tenure.
He also wrote that there needed to be an increase in the number of air traffic controllers, a work force that has long faced chronic shortages. Neither his remarks nor testimony during the hearing specified how he would recruit and retain more controllers in critical areas like New York, as the next Republican-led administration has promised vast cuts in all sectors of government.
Mr. Duffy also fielded questions about restoring the public’s trust in Boeing.
During Mr. Trump’s previous administration, two Boeing 737 Max plane crashes killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, leading to a reckoning for one of the United States’ most storied companies. The F.A.A. further stepped up scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing practices after the door panel in the body of one of the 737 Max planes was blown out during flight in January 2024.
Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat and former chair of the committee, asked Mr. Duffy if there should be a mandatory safety management system for manufacturers. She said those systems are crucial for ongoing safety improvements.
Ms. Cantwell said previous administrations had not focused on building a strong safety culture, which the F.A.A. is now pushing Boeing to adopt. Boeing is headquartered in Seattle and is a top employer in Ms. Cantwell’s state. Mr. Duffy said he supported the idea if it could help improve safety at Boeing.
“Boeing is the largest exporter of American product, incredibly important,” Mr. Duffy said. “In one of my meetings someone said, though, they need tough love, which is what they do need.”
Similarly to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg when he arrived four years ago, Mr. Duffy doesn’t bring much expertise in the field. What he does have stems primarily from his lobbying days, as some of his clients were part of, or involved with, the transportation sector.
During his four years at the BGR Group, a lobbying firm in Washington, Mr. Duffy represented 10 clients, according to Senate filings, ranging from the accounting firm Marcum LLP to Diem Networks, a digital currency initiative owned at the time by Meta.
In early 2020, Mr. Duffy registered to represent the Partnership for Open Skies, a coalition of domestic carriers funded by United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
The partnership was an effort to persuade the U.S. government to help domestic airlines compete with their Middle East counterparts, who at the time were receiving subsidies from their own governments that U.S. carriers believed allowed them to fly more cheaply to destinations overseas. But the initiative fizzled after the pandemic crippled air travel, and the contract with BGR was terminated after one quarter.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the Republican who leads the Commerce Committee, said during the hearing that Mr. Duffy had worked with both parties to secure funding for the St. Croix Crossing, which replaced an outdated and unsafe bridge between Wisconsin and Minnesota, and that he had helped improve port infrastructure while serving on the Great Lakes Task Force.
Kenneth P. Vogel contributed reporting.
