Trump’s Pick for Transportation Chief: 4 Takeaways From the Senate Hearing 

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Transportation Secretary, former representative and Fox Business host Sean Duffy, received a warm reception from the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. 

If confirmed as Transportation Secretary, Duffy will oversee safety-related issues at Boeing, an aging national airspace system, an ongoing air traffic controller shortage, labor negotiations among pilots and flight attendants, and climate initiatives such as the development of sustainable aviation fuel. 

He will also oversee numerous consumer regulations such as automatic refunds for significant flight disruptions and free family seating. 

While hearings for Trump’s picks for Defense Secretary and Attorney General were more contentious, Duffy garnered bipartisan support from senators during the three hour-long confirmation hearing. Here are four takeaways from Duffy’s confirmation hearing: 

1. Boeing Needs ‘Tough Love’

Duffy said he was committed to restoring confidence in Boeing, which has faced a series of safety-related incidents that have put it under renewed federal scrutiny. 

“I will work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing and to ensure our skies are safe,” Duffy said in his opening remarks. 

Last year, after a door plug fell off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, the FAA placed a weeks-long ground stop on the aircraft. The agency also put production caps on the Max and increased its oversight. 

Whistleblowers came out with allegations that Boeing took shortcuts when manufacturing the 787 Dreamliner, which led to a Senate hearing on the company. 

“At one of my meetings, someone said, ‘They need tough love,’ which is what they do need,” Duffy said. “ We have to push the FAA to make sure they’re implementing their safety plan.”

2. Is Raising the Pilot Retirement Age a Possibility?

Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, has been one of the most vocal advocates for raising the pilot retirement age to combat a persistent pilot shortage. 

Duffy said he would “welcome the opportunity” to review the issue. 

In November, Blackburn and a group of five other senators, which included Senate majority leader John Thune, urged the Biden administration to support international efforts to increase the pilot retirement age, according to Reuters. 

Raising the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 has been a complicated issue. It was one of the reasons why the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill stalled in Congress for nearly a year, and has not received support from pilot unions. Ultimately, Congress passed an FAA bill that kept the retirement age at 65. 

“What we do know is that this ill-conceived proposal could introduce more risk into our aviation system, disrupt airline operations, cause more flight delays and cancellations, and increase ticket prices for passengers,” the Air Line Pilots Association said in a statement in July 2023. 

In February 2024, outgoing FAA chief Mike Whitaker asked Congress not to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age until it can study if older pilots would raise safety risks, according to the Associated Press. 

3. Elon Musk’s Influence on the FAA Takes Shape

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and one of Trump’s key allies, is set to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency. Republicans in Congress have also started to rethink the FAA’s approach to fining companies like SpaceX for violations. 

“If confirmed, will you commit to reviewing these penalties and more broadly to curtailing bureaucratic overreach and accelerating launch approvals at FAA’s commercial space office?” asked Senator Ted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. 

A spokesperson for Cruz previously told Skift that he would “continue to advocate for policies that support innovation in space travel and minimize unnecessary bureaucratic interference and delays.”

“I commit to doing a review and working with you and following up on the space launches and what’s been happening at the FAA with regard to the launches,” Duffy said. 

In September, the FAA fined SpaceX $633,009 for violating the terms of its launch licenses on two separate occasions. 

4. Questions on DEI

DEI has become a political flashpoint, even in the airline industry. When Trump first announced Duffy as his Transportation Secretary, he said Duffy would “eliminate DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.”

When asked about DEI in the industry, Duffy said: “We want the hiring decisions to be based on merit. We want excellence. We want the best people in these jobs.”

DEI commitments in the airline industry have received criticism from conservatives, with some blaming such commitments for safety incidents at Boeing and maintenance-related incidents on runways. 

There has been no evidence that DEI has affected safety in the airline industry. 

Boeing dismantled its DEI department in October, following months of criticism from the likes of Musk and conservative activists, Bloomberg reported. 

Delta Air Lines said it was still committed to its DEI policies during its most recent earnings call. 

“DEI is about talent, and that’s been our focus,” said Delta chief external affairs officer Peter Carter on the call. “And of course, the key differentiator is our people.”