Former Wisconsin GOP congressman and two-time MTV cast member Sean Duffy, chosen by President-elect Donald Trump for transportation secretary, could dry up federal funding needed to build several LA Metro rail line projects and bus system improvements, critics warn.
Duffy, announced by Trump on Nov. 18, was described by many environmental and pro-transit groups as having ties to the fossil fuel industry and a climate-change denier who favors internal combustion cars and widening highways over mass transit. The Sierra Club said he worked against rail, bus and pedestrian-friendly investments during his tenure in the House of Representatives.
“Sean Duffy has no business leading the Department of Transportation. His real-world understanding of transportation investments and economic opportunities are limited to a MTV show,” said Ben Jealous, the Sierra Club’s executive director, in a statement.
“Donald Trump and Sean Duffy are a threat to the good-paying jobs (in rail line construction) and the future of America’s transportation sector,” Jealous said.
Duffy is a former lumberjack athlete, vehement Trump defender and co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. He was featured on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. He met his wife on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998.
Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox News host, calling him “the husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a star on Fox News.”
Later in the announcement, Trump said Duffy would use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress “to maintain and rebuild our nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our mission of ushering in ‘The Golden Age of Travel,’ focusing on safety, efficiency, and innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the travel experience for all Americans!”
If confirmed, Duffy would lead a department of 57,000 employees with a yearly budget of about $108 billion. He would oversee the country’s vast transportation system including pipelines, railroads, cars, trucks, the airlines and funding for highways and mass transit systems.
Some of the agencies under U.S. DOT are Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Aviation Administration.
Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, said the association was “thrilled” by the choice of Duffy, saying he has a track record of getting things done.
Likewise, Ray LaHood, U.S. High Speed Rail co-chair and a former transportation secretary said, “U.S. High Speed Rail congratulates Sean Duffy on his nomination as U.S. Secretary of Transportation. We look forward to working with him to advance the progress of high-speed rail projects across the country.”
A high-speed rail line to connect San Francisco with Los Angeles is under construction.
Also, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a trade group of 1,600 organizations that build mass transit projects, praised Trump’s choice. The group had endorsed Trump for president. “We look forward to working together on the critical mission to rebuild America’s transportation infrastructure, grow our economy, and drive innovation with cutting-edge technology,” said the APTA and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas in a statement released Nov. 19.
But other groups in favor of electric cars and trucks, who are for converting the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to use zero-emission technology — and building light-rail lines and subways that reduce smog-related air emissions and greenhouse gases — say these kinds of innovations are in danger under a Trump Administration.
“We could see cuts to transit funding in Los Angeles. Particularly given Trump’s anti-California, anti-urban postures,” said Bill Magavern, policy director of the L.A.-based Coalition for Clean Air on Wednesday.
In March, LA Metro confirmed it would get $900 million in federal funding. A large share of the money — $709.9 million — will go toward two LA Metro projects, the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project and sections two and three of the D (Purple) Line Subway Extension Project.
Metro plans on finishing the D Line subway extension from the Koreatown section of L.A. to Westwood before the 2028 summer Olympic Games comes to Los Angeles. LA Metro has relied on federal grants for the expansion of the D Line in the past, which has been under construction since 2014. In October 2022, President Joe Biden declared support for the line at a D Line construction site in Westwood.
Magavern said he is worried that if Duffy is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, withholding federal dollars could delay until 2028 the LA Metro projects scheduled to be finished by the Olympics. “Yes, I think it is a concern. Or, on the other hand, I can see Trump wanting to embrace the Olympics and taking credit,” he said.
More recently, the agency asked for federal funding to be included in the next federal budget for construction of the Southeast Gateway Line, an $8.5 billion, 19.3-mile line that would take riders from Artesia to the Slauson/A Line Station, and in the second phase, travel north to downtown Los Angeles.
Raffi Hamperian, a top LA Metro official, warned shortly after the election that the agency may see challenges in federal funding for the southeast county line and others with Trump and new leadership in the U.S. Department of Transportation.
LA Metro is also counting on federal dollars for building and operating other major projects, including Sepulveda Transit Corridor, connecting the Westside of Los Angeles with the San Fernando Valley with rail or a monorail; C Line (Green Line) light-rail extension from Redondo Beach to Torrance; and extension of the E Line further east from its current terminus in East Los Angeles, ending at Lambert Road in Whittier and also serving Commerce, Montebello, Pico Rivera and Santa Fe Springs.
“People like Sean Duffy can put his thumb on the scale with regard to these programs,” said Kevin X. Shen, policy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that analyzes new energy sources and technology. In the first Trump Administration, Shen said federal funding grants for mass transit projects were purposely delayed. “They slow-walked a lot of grants. And we found that much funding was stranded at the station.”
He called Duffy “an irresponsible pick” and someone who denies that the climate is getting warmer and causing more severe flooding, droughts and hurricanes that destroy property and take lives. The Union of Concerned Scientists want his confirmation rejected.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, who has helped bring federal dollars to LA Metro projects, said his nomination will be scrutinized.
“California has made significant strides in improving our transportation sector to help offset the impacts of climate change. However, President-elect Trump has repeatedly claimed the climate crisis is a ‘hoax’ and opposed California’s progress on protecting the environment while improving our infrastructure in the past. I am committed to a thorough confirmation process for Mr. Duffy and all of Trump’s nominees to prevent rolling back California’s leadership and progress,” said Padilla in a statement on Thursday, Nov. 21.
Magavern said that with Duffy, the federal government could move away from the conversion of diesel trucks and buses and gasoline-powered cars to battery-electric and hydrogen powered vehicles — strategies in California for reducing smog and greenhouse gases that cause global warming and increase the intensity of rain storms and wildfires.
“Transportation is by far the biggest cause of smog and soot that gives California the worst air pollution in the entire country,” Magavern said. “That air pollution kills thousands of Californians every year, makes people sick and increases asthma.”
California rules mandate 100% of new cars sold in the state be plug-in hybrid electric, all-electric or hydrogen fuel cell by 2035. And LA Metro is spending more capital on rail and bus rapid transit projects than any other agency in the country, hoping more choices lead to less gridlock and air pollution.
“We’d rather have a leader who presents a future with more transportation options, ones that would be more affordable and more sustainable,” Shen said.
Related links
Trump picks Sean Duffy for transportation secretary | AP News
Biden treks to Metro construction site in LA to talk infrastructure spending, jobs, inflation
LA Metro projects get huge federal funding boost ahead of Olympics
LA Metro takes Pete Buttigieg for a ride, hoping the feds offer up infrastructure dollars
LA Metro concerned about Trump Administration nixing funds for key rail project