The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Sean Duffy as secretary of transportation on Jan. 28, 2025. The Senate voted 77-22 in favor of his nomination with 23 Democrats, one independent who caucuses with Democrats, and 53 Republicans voting in favor. This was the sixth member of President Donald Trump’s (R) Cabinet confirmed in his second presidential term.
Trump announced on November 18, 2024, that he had selected Duffy as his nominee for secretary of transportation. Trump said of Duffy’s nomination, “Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many 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.” The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a confirmation hearing for Duffy on January 15, 2025, and voted 28-0 to advance his nomination.
Duffy received his bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College. He was a professional lumberjack athlete, and he competed in lumberjack shows to put himself through law school at the William Mitchell College of Law. Duffy was a lumberjack athlete and was both a commentator for and a competitor in ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games in 2003. Duffy was also a member of the cast of The Real World: Boston, an MTV reality television show, in 1997. He also appeared on Road Rules: All Stars in 1998 and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons in 2002. After graduating, Duffy went into private practice and then became District Attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin. He served as district attorney from 2002 to 2010. In 2010, Duffy was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House. He was re-elected in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018, before resigning from the U.S. House in 2019.
At the time of Duffy’s confirmation, he was the fifth of the main Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At this point in Trump’s first term, two of the main 15 Cabinet secretaries had been confirmed.
At this point in the Biden administration, three of the main 15 Cabinet secretaries had been confirmed, and at this point in the Obama administration, 11 of the main 15 Cabinet secretaries had been confirmed.
A presidential Cabinet is a group of senior federal officials who advise the president on the issues and activities of their respective agencies. The number of officials in a Cabinet can vary across presidential administrations. While not explicitly identified in the Constitution, the Cabinet secretaries are the 15 agency heads who are in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also part of the Cabinet.
During Trump’s second term, the following offices are also Cabinet-rank positions: White House chief of staff, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. trade representative, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the director of National Intelligence, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the ambassador to the United Nations.