On Tuesday (January 28th), Sean Duffy was confirmed by the Senate as the Secretary of Transportation; Duffy received bipartisan support in the Senate with a vote of 77 to 22, including support from more than twenty Democratic senators; Duffy promised to establish federal rules for autonomous vehicles and will continue the investigation into Tesla's autonomous Software.
According to a report from Cai Lian She on January 29 (edited by Zhou Ziyi), Sean Duffy was confirmed by the Senate as the Secretary of Transportation on Tuesday (January 28th) local time in the USA, and he is expected to play a key role in helping President Trump cut regulations and repair the national infrastructure. He will also implement Trump's agenda regarding Railroads, Autos, and Aviation industries.
The former congressman from Wisconsin received bipartisan support in the Senate with a vote of 77 to 22, which included support from more than twenty Democratic senators.
After being nominated by Trump as Secretary of Transportation, Duffy made a commitment to safer Boeing aircraft and stated that he would establish federal rules for autonomous vehicles, saying he would not give any preferential treatment to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) that Duffy will oversee has over 0.055 million employees and spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year, responsible for overseeing highways, Railroads, and airspace in the USA, and setting safety standards for trains, Autos, and trucks.
During the confirmation hearing earlier this month, Duffy vowed to 'restore Global confidence in Boeing,' hire more air traffic controllers, and cut the DOT's DEI programs.
He also pointed out that federal regulations for autonomous vehicles would be established, instead of having a patchwork of regulations from various states; this view resonated with many, as several believed these state regulations hindered development in the USA.
Duffy noted, 'Without clear federal rules and merely patchwork regulations among the states, we will fall behind countries that allow innovators to expand and grow.'
If unified federal regulations can be passed, one of the biggest beneficiaries of this regulatory reform will be Elon Musk.
Musk prides himself on being Trump's "good buddy," and since Trump's election as president, the stock price of his electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has soared. Investors reasonably expect that since Musk is an important advisor to the president, the Department of Transportation's investigation into Tesla will also ease.
But when Democratic senators pressured during the hearing, Duffy pledged that he "would not waver." Duffy promised Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into the autonomous driving software released by Tesla this month will continue under his supervision.
The NHTSA, which is part of his Department of Transportation, is responsible for investigating and combating violations by Auto Manufacturers.
The decision by the Department of Transportation, where Duffy works, has significant overlap with Musk's business empire, and besides the direct impact on Tesla, it will also have a direct effect on Musk's rocket company SpaceX. It is reported that SpaceX has signed billions of dollars in contracts with federal institutions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an agency under the Department of Transportation, has also previously fined the company for violations, including a $0.633 million fine last year for allegedly violating safety regulations during two launches in Florida.
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