Trump’s Transportation nominee addresses NJ Transit, Gateway funding, drones at confirmation hearing

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, addressed transportation issues critical to New Jerseyans like NJ Transit and funding for the Gateway Tunnel during his confirmation hearing today, though he generally declined to make the types of commitments that New Jersey Senator Andy Kim asked of him.

Speaking before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Duffy, a former Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin, said that he wants to prioritize making sure that big, long-lasting transportation projects are greenlit and completed during Trump’s second administration.

“President Trump is a builder,” Duffy said in his opening testimony. “He has told me that this department is a top priority for him & he wants to invest in rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. He asked me to focus on big, durable projects that connect our country and people.”

During his allotted questioning time, Kim pressed Duffy on whether that commitment would extend to the Gateway project, a massive effort to build a new rail tunnel underneath the Hudson River that broke ground during the Biden administration after being repeatedly delayed under Trump. Duffy said he was broadly interested in continuing existing projects, though he didn’t make any concrete promises.

“[Gateway is] incredibly important, not just for my state and my neighboring state, New York, but for our entire nation and our economy – something that would be a major disaster for our nation economically if something were to happen,” Kim said. “You said that you support keeping funding going for projects that are already underway. I just want to see if we can get a commitment from you that that would also apply to the Gateway.”

“I want to look at what funding has gone out, but I imagine those good projects that are underway, we would continue,” Duffy responded.

Kim also brought up funding for NJ Transit and Amtrak, both of which had a rough summer in New Jersey thanks to rising temperatures and aging infrastructure. Duffy sometimes voted against Amtrak funding during his time as a Wisconsin representative, but he indicated that he’s more receptive to the rail company’s importance now that he’s looking at it from a national perspective.

“I’ve watched and seen some of the debates that we have when it comes to Amtrak funding here in Congress. You’ve had to take some votes on this,” Kim said. “I’ve been concerned by some of these efforts to try to slash Amtrak funding in the past. I’d like your thoughts on this, and whether or not you understand the importance of keeping Amtrak funding going.”

“I’ll just note that I did represent northern Wisconsin; we don’t have any Amtrak, and my old constituents would bring that up in my town halls,” Duffy replied. “But again, this committee has spoken loudly about Amtrak and rail in their home communities, and so I’m going to continue to work with the committee and abide by the law, enforce the law, and implement the law as passed by this body.”

And on the subject of drone sightings – which enraptured New Jerseyans late last year – Duffy said he was in agreement with Kim that the government should provide smart rules and good communication with those concerned about drones in their communities.

“We need transparency,” Duffy said. “What’s happening, who’s flying – I think there’s a lot of work to do on the rulemaking front here, and I would welcome partnering with you to do that.”

Today’s committee hearing ended without a yes-or-no vote, though Duffy is expected to be one of Trump’s less controversial Cabinet nominees; Kim has not yet said which way he’s intending to vote.

This week marks the beginning of the long process to confirm Trump’s Cabinet nominees, and both Kim and his New Jersey compatriot, Senator Cory Booker, have a lot of nominations to examine on their respective committees. Kim also questioned Office of Management and Budget nominee Russell Vought today and is scheduled to hear from Housing and Urban Development nominee Eric Turner tomorrow, while Booker had an intense day today with Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi.