By Michael J. Schoen, Esq.
On Wednesday I had the genuine pleasure of watching the Senate Commerce Committee’s three-hour confirmation hearing for Sean Duffy (shown at left), the President-elect’s nominate to be the next Secretary of Transportation. I say it was a “genuine pleasure” not for any political reasons, but rather because (1) it was an opportunity to witness an important part of the democratic process, (2) learn many interesting things about transportation in the United States, and (3) get to know the man who will almost certainly be our boss for at least the next four years.
Here are my key takeaways on those topics:
THE HEARING: The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee oversees transportation in our country, which is why it falls to them to vet nominees for DOT Secretary. This vetting is done, in part, during a confirmation hearing in the Senate’s Russell Office Building on Capitol Hill. Prior to the meeting, Senators had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Duffy one-on-one, to get to know the man. During the hearing, many Senators on the committee asked Mr. Duffy questions about his transportation experience, and views on a wide array of transportation issues affecting the United States. The hearing was an enjoyable and educational overview of the modes of transportation in this country and the issues affecting them. It gave me a much broader perspective about DOTs mission, and the FAA’s role in it. Aviation-related topics that came up focused on Boeing, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), drones, air traffic controllers, pilot training, Essential Air Service, and rocket launches.
Speaking of rockets, the committee chairman shared that he recently attended the launch of a SpaceX Starship. He described it as “awe-inspiring” to see a “22-story ‘Statue of Liberty’ blasting into the skies.” His words painted a vivid picture that made an impression on me. But they also reminded me that he is just as human as I am. And watching the hearing truly humanized the Senators. I suspect that many of us have narrow, polarized views of our Members of Congress. So, it was reassuring to see the committee’s leaders (from opposing parties) interacting warmly and with collegial humor. It’s clear that they are not just colleagues, but also friends. And despite their admitted differences they all want our country to thrive. Yet it often feels like Congress is never able to agree on what’s best for the United States. So, I found it incredibly funny when, at one point in the hearing, the chairman noted that “I think we can all agree that death is bad.” (He sounded (fairly) confident that his fellow Senators would agree on this point.)
THE NOMINEE: Sean Duffy is a 53-year-old former district attorney from Wisconsin. He served as one of that state’s Congressmen from 2011 – 2019. He and his wife Rachel have been married for 25 years, and they met on a reality TV show. They have nine children. The youngest is five. The eldest is married and recently became a parent. That makes Mr. Duffy a very youthful looking grandfather! (See my attached montage.) Almost all his children were present at the hearing, and they were well behaved. But, as one senator teasingly observed at the two-hour mark, he feared that he and his colleagues were “boring the younger Duffy children to death.” It was then that I noticed one of the youngest had fallen asleep with her head on the shoulder of her slightly older brother. It was adorable.
Mr. Duffy retired from Congress five years ago, when his youngest daughter, Valentina, was born with Down Syndrome. Her “joy and marvel at all things” has helped to make her the family’s favorite child. She was also the darling of the Senators and could easily have stolen the show. It seems that five-year-old Valentina is non-partisan and a wonderful ambassador for her father. (For example, prior to the hearing she insisted on getting repeated hugs from a motherly Democratic Senator she had just met.)
Mr. Duffy expressed his hope of ushering in what he calls a “golden age for transportation.” But although he is clearly passionate about the topic, he also has a healthy sense of humor. Early in the hearing he jokingly noted that, as the father of nine children, transportation is a topic that is often on his mind!
He’s easy to like. Here are a few adjectives that came to mind during the three hours that I watched him interact with the senators: Youthful, Energetic, Honest, Transparent, Charismatic, Eager, Humble, Sincere. He was not afraid to say “Senator, I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ll get back to you.” Nor was he afraid to tell individual senators that he didn’t necessarily agree with them on issues that are close to their hearts. In short, it seems he will make decisions based on what he, not the politicians, think are best for this country. Nevertheless, as one senator noted, Mr. Duffy is “a strong consensus builder, as evidenced from his time in Congress.”
THE UNANSWERED QUESTION: Admittedly, I knew next to nothing about Mr. Duffy prior to the hearing. Afterwards, a more knowledgeable friend shared that Mr. Duffy doesn’t have much experience with transportation issues, nor with overseeing large organizations. In retrospect, it is quite noteworthy that neither of those points were expressly addressed during the hearing. But my sense is that the reason Mr. Duffy seemed to receive bipartisan support is because, at least in part, he seems to be an energetic and adaptable go-getter who is good with people and can build consensus. And that brings to mind a somewhat different kind of person: Industrialist Andrew Carnegie was one of 19th century America’s wealthiest citizens. He was a self-made man and reportedly achieved success by, as he said, “surround[ing] himself with men far cleverer than himself.” My point is that sometimes a great leader doesn’t need to be a subject matter expert, so long as he knows how to surround himself with, and lead, people who have what he lacks. Let’s hope that Sean Duffy is like that, or, if confirmed, finds some other way to grow into a Transportation Secretary who will accomplish good things for our country.
The full Senate will likely vote on Mr. Duffy’s nomination later this month. In all likelihood he will be our next Secretary of Transportation.
These are the personal views of Michael J. Schoen. He covers events regardless of their political affiliation, and strives to be non-partisan in his reporting. He is an occasional contributor to the State Aviation Journal
