Well, if people were hoping for a Transportation Secretary with some maritime connections this does not look like it. Not to say that that limits policy decisions per se but can’t help feeling it’s an underwhelming choice.
This feels more and more like the Fox News cabinet. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but it also feels like generally less serious choices across all positions than the last time Trump was in the Oval.
Will we see hundreds of editorials bashing him on here?
Because he wants yes-men this time not people with a backbone.
I chuckled when I read the news. The propaganda aimed at Trump from the left was “Heritage Foundation this, that, Project 2025, blah, blah, blah…” So far the majority of his picks have been Gen X’ers who have nothing to do with the HF & his Press Secretary is boarderline millenial/Gen Z being the youngest person to ever hold the spot. As for this Transportation Secretary who’s been on 3 MTV reality TV shows when I might have still been watching MTV, I say the same thing I said about the last one. I’m comment #2 on the thread below about Buttigieg when he was nominated. I also love comment #10 from a diehard anti-Trumper who I’m sure will feel 100% different now the situation has reversed.
Don’t look now but the nominee for FCC Chair (Brendan Carr) helped write the Project 2025 Chapter on the FCC. Surely just a coincidence right?
He has transportation affiliations. Reality show Road Rules and Road Rules All Stars. He also started log rolling at age 5 and was speed climbing up poles by age 13. Give him a chance.
Not from John. He’s fully onboard
Back bone?? You mean like the Gay Mayor who went on Maternity Leave during the Covid and ILWA strike crisis a few years back. Let me get my popcorn.
Sure miss the Old crotchety captain on here!
Thus far there’s a lot of talk about railroad and air infrastructure, with ports mentioned but not elaborated on.
As a red-headed stepchild, I feel as though I’ve been in this situation before.
Still, the guy’s obviously a supremely good and moral person, looking at his bio. The biggest plus so far is that he has a LOT of experience in financial reform and has been on the House Financial committee. He knows how the sausage is made.
Along with the absolute need to modernize and repopulate our sealift fleet, we are in a concurrent dire need of modernizing the financial marketplace to build and buy ships. The infrastructure to do so MUST include access to more creative MODERN financial vehicles.
We’re still at the point where prospective American shipowners have to bake a cake and go down hat in hand to the Savings and Loan and ask Mr. Potter for a billion bucks in cloth bags with dollar signs on them.
Good points. 8 years in congress should be the equivalent of 8 yrs as a mayor of a small city with a population of 100k. And if 8 years as a District Attorney is good enough to run for Senate & later as VP, it should be good enough for Secretary of Transportation. He doesn’t have the honorable military experience like the outgoing DOT sec but his years on the House Financial committee should show him as a more than adequate contender. Anyone who supported Pete Buttigieg or at least gave him fair shake as incoming DOT sec should do the same for Duffy. If they don’t it means that person doesn’t use principles or logic to make political decisions & just goes by the little d or r in parenthesis next to their name.
Wished I’d known that before spending 10 years in graduate school.
He’d be fully onboard with anything the orange man did.
Duffy has supported reforming the Jones act so not sure how everyone will respond when US flag jobs are impacted. It’ll start with LNG tankers to Puerto Rico and then probably product tankers. First domino to fall. JA reform is necessary but very fragile so it will be interesting to see how he handles shipping.
His former district includes the port of Superior, WI and a shipyard (Fraser).
We will see…
There’s already a us flag LNG tanker for this run in the works
US Flag, or Jones Act Compliant?
US Flag. Better than a waiver for foreign ship with foreign workers. I don’t think there are any JA compliant ships that exist outside of the 1 or 2 laid up in Norway that are like 40 years old.
Are there any articles on what ship will be reflagged and who will own/operate? Not sure how many LNG cargo mates are around these days either.
Nope. It’s a large US company with some experience in the area. The mates are few and far between but they do exist.
Looking at Trumps announcement of Duffy’s appointment I noticed shipping is not mentioned.
“He will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports. He will ensure our ports and dams serve our Economy without compromising our National Security, and he will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers,”
The man has a way with words