Reply to Duffy: Towards a National Law for Electric Autonomous Vehicles (HeAVs), as Convented by President-Elect Trump

Since the federal government took a back seat in regulating and controlling autonomously operated vehicles, states are left with their own rules for safe deployment. Lawmakers in Congress had to compromise over a lot of issues, including safety, liability, and the right number of exemptions from federal motor vehicle safety standards, in order to stall the legislation that would dramatically increase the number ofAVs on the road.

But Congress has taken up several proposals over the past decade, with little to show for it. It is unclear whether major differences will be worked out by the next opportunity.

As transportation secretary, Duffy has a bully pulpit to advocate for a national law for self-driving cars. And its been reported that Trump is in favor of passing such a bill once taking office.

This technology has the potential to make our roads safer, but it’s also a national security issue. We must stay ahead of China and other countries when it comes to audiovisual technology. We have laws in all of the states. I believe there has to be a federal law by which all of these innovators can abide by it, no matter if they’re in Texas or in California or somewhere else. I will always make sure that safety is a priority. We want to give a wide runway for these companies and innovation to create products that will change the way we get items, how we travel, and so much more.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched investigations into the safety of electric car technology during the Biden administration. The largest probe triggered a December 23, 2023 recall of more than 2 million cars, which were part of the company’s redesign of its autopilot feature. The NHTSA is investigating the adequacy of the recall.

He said he would let NHTSA do their investigation and that he had committed to this committee. I mentioned to you that a lot of the players in these spaces, I have never met them.

Duffy, a former Republican congressman, lobbyist, and Fox News personality, made the comments during his confirmation hearing Wednesday in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. He asked if he could keep an eye out for impartiality in his investigation into the company headed by Musk.

After leaving Congress in 2019, Duffy worked as a lobbyist and as a contributor at Fox News. In announcing his pick, President-elect Trump praised Duffy as a “respected voice and communicator” in a post on Truth Social in November.

Sean Duffy, the MTV Reality Show, and the St. Croix Crossing: What Comes Beyond the Fox News News Camera?

The Department of Transportation includes the Federal Aviation Administration, which is in charge of the nation’s airspace, as well as agencies that regulate the nation’s railroads, and set safety standards for passenger cars, trucks and commercial vehicles.

Sean was in Congress when he worked with both Republicans and Democrats to replace a bridge across the river between his home state of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

More than a decade later, the St. Croix Crossing — and the relationships that the new bridge helped forge — came up several times Wednesday during Duffy’s confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Transportation.

“When I go across that bridge when I’m in Minneapolis, I go to Hayward where I was born and raised,” he said. I’m proud to be associated with bipartisan work and I would like to continue that work should I be confirmed.

“Our efforts show that when we work together, we get important things done. And we haven’t always agreed,” Baldwin said in remarks introducing Duffy to the committee. “But at the end of the day, I am confident that Sean is the right person for this job in this upcoming administration.”

At the confirmation hearing, Duffy committed to prioritizing safety on the roadways and in the air, and said he would “work to reduce the red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects, ensuring funds are spent efficiently.” He promised to bring a “tough love” to Boeing as regulators attempt to repair the company’s reputation. In order to address the air traffic controllers’ shortage, Duffy said he would hire only the best and the brightest.

Donald Trump looks to Fox News for a lot of his cabinet nominees. But few have as much experience on camera as Duffy, who starred on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. He and Rachel were on another MTV reality show when they met. Campos-Duffy was on hand at Wednesday’s hearing, along with eight of the couple’s nine children.

It’s close to home for me, because my wife survived a fatal car crash, which has profoundly changed her life.

Source: Trump’s Cabinet pick for secretary of transportation is Sean Duffy. Here’s what to know

Democrat Ted Duffy and Transportation Secretary Ted Buttigieg: “We are very concerned about the impact of Amtrak on the Gateway Program”

Pete Buttigieg wasn’t very familiar with transportation before he took the reins. Under Buttigieg, the department has handed out billions of dollars from the bipartisan infrastructure law to build roads and bridges, dig tunnels, modernize airports and more.

Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) asked specifically about funding for the Gateway Program, a multi-billion dollar project to replace a series of crumbling rail tunnels and bridges connecting northern New Jersey to Manhattan.

There are several areas in which the department’s broad mandate intersects with the business interests of billionaire Musk who gave hundreds of millions of dollars into the Trump campaign.

Senator Ed Markey wants to know if traffic safety investigators will be allowed to follow the evidence and operate objectively as part of their investigations.

Duffy acknowledged voting against Amtrak funding when he was a member of Congress from rural Wisconsin. But he said “this committee has spoken loudly about Amtrak and rail in their home communities.”

If he is confirmed as transportation secretary, the first trip that he will make will be to the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, where major interstate highways were damaged by flooding from Hurricane Florence, as well as countless smaller roads.

“This is a real emergency,” he said. “I’ll do everything in the power of the Department for Transportation to move the process forward as quickly as possible so these communities get access and roads that are functional again.”