ASTA Congratulates New Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy
by Daniel McCarthy
Sean Duffy being sworn in on Wednesday. Photo: Department of Transportation
The U.S. has a new head of transportation and travel.
Sean Duffy was confirmed as the new secretary of transportation on Tuesday in a bipartisan 77-22 vote. Duffy, a former five-term congressman from Wisconsin and lobbyist, was nominated by then-President-elect Donald Trump in November.
Before his political career, which began as district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, Duffy was a cast member on the MTV reality show The Real World in the 1990s, where he met his wife.
Duffy now takes the reins at the Department of Transportation (DOT), one of the largest federal agencies, with more than 55,000 employees. In the role, he and his team will oversee the nation’s airports, highways and railroads, along with the rules and regulations governing air travel.
During his confirmation hearings, Duffy outlined some of his priorities, including addressing the air traffic controller shortage, which has caused nationwide issues in recent years, and working to repair Boeing’s reputation.
The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) congratulated Duffy on Tuesday, calling his confirmation a “testament to his dedication to transportation safety and public service.”
“As an integral part of the travel industry, ASTA and its advisors offer support to Secretary Duffy as he gets up to speed on often complex and nuanced policies affecting travel,” ASTA said. “On behalf of the entire travel agency community and the nearly 200,000 travel advisors across the country, we look forward to working with Secretary Duffy to ‘usher in a golden age of travel.’”
