{"id":14981,"date":"2025-05-20T07:40:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T14:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/?p=14981"},"modified":"2025-05-20T07:40:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T14:40:26","slug":"is-duffy-the-worst-member-of-trumps-cabinet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/is-duffy-the-worst-member-of-trumps-cabinet\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Duffy the Worst Member of Trump’s Cabinet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Sean Duffy’s Tenure<\/h2>\n

Picking out the worst performer among Donald Trump\u2019s Cabinet appointees is a tough job \u2014 it\u2019s a competitive race, after all\u2014 but one member who deserves to be in the running by almost any measure of incompetence is Sean Duffy, the secretary of Transportation. Duffy is a classic example of someone who knows who\u2019s responsible for the screwups on his watch, and it\u2019s never him.<\/p>\n

Blame-Shifting and Inconsistencies<\/h2>\n

He has spent the last weeks and months blaming the Biden administration for numerous operational failures in our air traffic system since he took over. Those include the Jan. 29 midair collision over Washington, D.C., that cost 67 air passengers their lives, as well as several near-misses on the ground.
\n"I think we need to be a little bit more precise in downsizing a department with a mission as critical as DOT\u2019s." \u2014 Rep Steve Womack (R-Ark.)<\/p>\n

Comparative Incompetence<\/h2>\n

Some Trump Cabinet members have more important portfolios than Duffy \u2014Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, neither of whom has displayed anything approaching basic competence at their job, come immediately to mind. But the American public is bound to be particularly sensitive to the functioning of our transportation infrastructure. That\u2019s especially true when it comes to the safety and reliability of air travel; every flight delay and safety-related mishap hits American travelers in the gut.<\/p>\n

The Newark Liberty International Airport Disaster<\/h2>\n

The highest-profile failure (so far) is the disaster named Newark Liberty International Airport, where flight delays can last for the better part of a day and questions about safety are rife. Duffy, a former reality show contestant and four-term congressman, comes to the blame game with dirty hands. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n

Duffy’s Statements and Contradictions<\/h2>\n

First, here\u2019s what he\u2019s said about the condition of FAA operations and staffing. \u201cI think it is clear that the blame belongs with the last administration,\u201d he said Monday during a news conference at DOT headquarters. \u201cPete Buttigieg and Joe Biden did nothing to fix the system that they knew was broken.\u201d He said, \u201cDuring COVID, when people weren\u2019t flying? That was a perfect time to fix these problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historical Context and Trump’s Role<\/h2>\n

A couple of points are pertinent here. First, in 2019, when Duffy was a Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin, the bill to fund the Department of Transportation among other agencies came before the House. Duffy voted against it. So did 179 other members of the GOP caucus; 12 Republicans joined the Democrats to pass the measure. Second, the pandemic year in which \u201cpeople weren\u2019t flying\u201d was 2020. That year, the domestic passenger count plummeted to 369.4 million from 926.7 million the previous year. It was the lowest figure since 1984. Who was president in 2020? Not Biden, but Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

FAA’s Chronic Problems<\/h2>\n

The problems date back even further \u2014 at least to 1981, when Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 air traffic controllers at a single blow to break their union. A frenzy of hiring and training followed, but the replacement cohort has passed its retirement age. The FAA is currently about 3,000 controllers shy of its target staffing, so the people on the job are stretched to their breaking point.<\/p>\n

Trump Administration’s Impact<\/h2>\n

It isn\u2019t as if Trump and Duffy pulled out all the stops to fix the FAA\u2019s chronic problems upon taking office. Some 3,000 \u201cprobationary\u201d employees at the agency were fired during a DOGE rampage, according to a count by the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the union representing safety and technical workers at the FAA, and a statement by Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), chair of the subcommittee overseeing the Transportation Department budget.<\/p>\n

Budget Cuts and Staffing Issues<\/h2>\n

During appearances last week before the House and Senate appropriations committees, Duffy boasted about saving taxpayers nearly $10 billion during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. That provoked Womack to riposte, \u201cI think we need to be a little bit more precise in downsizing a department with a mission as critical as DOT\u2019s. … The question is pretty simple: How many departures can you handle without eroding the ability to carry out a safe and effective mission?\u201d \u201cWe can do more with less, Mr. Chairman,\u201d Duffy replied.<\/p>\n

Threats and Ideological Vetting<\/h2>\n

As it happens, on April 24, Duffy sent a letter to all recipients of DOT funds \u2014effectively virtually every state and thousands of local jurisdictions, warning them that pursuing \u201cDEI goals … violates federal law.\u201d He threatened explicitly to withhold DOT funding from jurisdictions that fail to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. This is the \u201cred tape\u201d that Murray referenced.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

It may not be long now before Duffy\u2019s ideological vetting of transportation contracts and his decimation of the working staff at the FAA cause even greater disruptions in the air and on land, potentially with fatal consequences. His efforts to blame everyone else for his own failures are sure to have a very short half-life. Raise your tray tables and your reclining seats, and fasten your seat belts. We may be coming in for a hard landing.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n