Sean Duffy Nomination Easily Clears Senate Commerce Vote

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee yesterday voted unanimously to approve Sean Duffy for the role of transportation secretary, clearing the nomination for consideration on the Senate floor. With a vote of 28-0, the Duffy nomination sailed through the committee during a session that lasted a little more than 10 minutes. The move comes just one week after his nomination hearing.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called Duffy a “consensus-driven leader” who is prepared to meet the challenges with the Department of Transportation at a pivotal moment. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) added, “Duffy received a tough but fair questioning from many members” and noted that he has committed to her that infrastructure funding decisions would be free from political interference under his leadership.

The only other member giving a full statement during Wednesday’s session was Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), who reiterated her earlier praise about his collaboration on a bridge project that linked Minnesota and Wisconsin but required congressional intervention.

Several Commerce Committee members had previously worked with Duffy while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. Most recently, he has co-hosted Fox Business show “The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy.”