By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate voted 77 to 22 on Tuesday to confirm former U.S. Representative Sean Duffy to head the U.S. Transportation Department.
Duffy, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, says Boeing needs “tough love” to get back on track after a 2024 mid-air emergency and vowed not to approve additional 737 MAX production until the planemaker makes safety improvements. He will oversee billions of dollars in unspent infrastructure funds, and told lawmakers an ongoing safety probe into Tesla will continue when he takes office.
Duffy, who cleared a procedural hurdle to be confirmed on Monday on a 99-0 vote, lost some Senate support after the White House sent a memo to federal agencies late on Monday freezing most federal grant programs.
The White House last week froze funding for electric vehicle charging stations, a move that also led to the temporary pause of all federal highway reimbursements to states, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. The White House later clarified that last week’s funding freeze only applied to EV charging stations.
Duffy also said last week he planned to meet with Boeing’s leadership at the “earliest feasible moment” to “make clear that the department and the FAA will continue to hold them accountable to the action plan they developed, and which was accepted by the department.”
In January of 2024, Mike Whitaker, who at the time was the Federal Aviation Administration’s acting chief, imposed a production cap of 38 planes per month on Boeing after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 jet.
Whitaker stepped down as FAA administrator last week, when Trump took office, and the new administration has not nominated a successor or said who will run the agency on an acting basis.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Tuesday he expects Boeing will have approval by the second half of 2025 to exceed the current production cap.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Paul Simao)
