WASHINGTON — Sean P. Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Transportation Department, had a light day Wednesday compared with some other Cabinet picks, promising senators he’d work to improve safety and get Boeing “back on track.”

The former Wisconsin lawmaker and Fox News co-host faced little resistance to his confirmation at a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and her counterpart, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, each lauded Duffy’s ability to work across the aisle as Duffy spoke about his plan to help Trump be a “builder.”

“I don’t think safety is a partisan issue. The projects … that we talk about today, those aren’t partisan projects. Infrastructure is nonpartisan,” Duffy said. “I’m committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to make sure we are looking at the best projects with the safest record.”

Duffy added that he “hasn’t read” Project 2025, a controversial conservative policy initiative that became a flashpoint during the presidential election. “I’m not sure what’s in there,” he said.

Endorsements have rolled in despite Duffy’s short transportation resume. Duffy sat on the House Financial Services Committee during his time in Congress and any input from him on transportation was confined to issues local to Wisconsin, such as the weight limits for logging trucks in the state.

After leaving Congress in 2019, Duffy was a lobbyist and co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business, as well as a contributor on Fox News.

Boeing, EVs, the infrastructure law

Senators focused much of their questioning on safety, oversight of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, electric vehicles and infrastructure programs related to the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Duffy committed to oversight of Boeing, a priority for the committee after a door plug blowout last year. He told committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., that he would meet with the families of those who died in Boeing plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 and listen to whistleblowers.

“Boeing needs tough love,” Duffy said.

Duffy toed a partisan line when asked about adoption of electric vehicles under Trump, who has vowed to roll back rules that Republicans argue “mandate” a transition to EV’s. Duffy said he believes there is “space for electric vehicles and gas-powered vehicles.”

“That might depend on your priorities, the places that you live, the temperatures of where you live. But I want to see a robust marketplace,” he said.

Many Democrats sought Duffy’s commitment to fund some contentious programs — like the Hudson River tunnel Gateway Project, which Trump has previously opposed, and Amtrak, for which Duffy voted against increasing funding during his time in Congress.

Duffy told senators that he would “continue (project) funding that’s already underway” and implement funding from the 2021 infrastructure law in a timely manner.

“Some of you in the committee have brought up my votes where I didn’t vote for Amtrak funding. That was when I represented northern Wisconsin, and we didn’t have any Amtrak,” he said. “I’m going to continue to work with the committee and abide by the law, enforce the law (and) implement the laws passed by this body.”

He told Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, that he would work with the panel on the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill. The current authorization, which was greatly expanded to become the 2021 infrastructure law, expires in 2026.

Those conversations would include efforts to streamline permitting, consideration of new sources of revenue to feed the Highway Trust Fund, regulating autonomous vehicles and investing in public transit.

Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the panel will craft a pipeline safety reauthorization bill, which Duffy committed to working on with him.

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