Transportation Secretary Duffy Accelerates Safety Reforms and Infrastructure Savings

Sean Duffy says the DOT has overhauled key projects, tightened truck-driver rules and claimed billions in taxpayer savings within his first 19 months.

Since President Donald Trump began his second term, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has steered the DOT toward what officials call a “golden age” of practical infrastructure and safety-first policies. Within 19 months the agency secured $12.5 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill to replace aging air-traffic control equipment, swapping one-third of copper lines for fiber, installing over 148 new radios and adding surface-awareness systems at 44 towers, while a recruitment drive aimed at video gamers lifted controller hiring by 20 percent.

Duffy’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reinstated English-proficiency requirements, revoking more than 28,000 illegal licenses, removing over 11,500 drivers who failed tests and closing 8,000 unqualified training schools, and earmarked $300 million for truck-parking grants. The DOT also eliminated a grant backlog of roughly 3,200 projects, committing about $9 billion to roads, bridges, rail and airport upgrades and retooling Safe Streets and Roads for All grants with nearly $1 billion focused on safety.

Reported savings total about $14 billion from regulatory cuts and the cancellation of a $4 billion high-speed rail grant, while the administration faces criticism for halting new Capital Investment Grants for mass transit. Overall, Duffy’s tenure reflects a shift toward deregulation, enforcement and traditional infrastructure spending.