“Promises made, promises kept.” On January 20, 2025, when President Donald J. Trump took the oath of office for his second term, that mantra has guided this Administration as it works overtime to enact major accomplishments on behalf of the American people.
The Department of Transportation is at the tip of the spear. President Trump is a builder, and under his leadership, we’ve been able to transform the agency from a woke bureaucracy into an engine for safety, affordability, and innovation.
It hasn’t been easy. The last administration saddled the Department with radical green and social requirements, failed to fix our outdated air traffic controller system, sat on billions in infrastructure funding, enacted an electric vehicle mandate, and allowed states to illegally dole out trucking licenses.
In short, it was a mess. But since day one, the Department has been laser-focused on ending the madness and building big, beautiful things again.
Modernizing our Skies
At the center of President Trump’s bold transportation agenda is the creation of an all-new air traffic control system. It’s a system that, while remarkably safe, still relies on technology from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Before Trump’s second term, the failure to update the system contributed to the chaotic delays and cancellations the traveling public expected when flying. It also prevented the U.S. from fully embracing the next wave of innovation in the skies – drones delivering your packages, flying taxis, and supersonic flight.
Trump and I saw the problem right away and have moved quickly to fix it. Thanks to the $12.5 billion the President and Republicans in Congress delivered through the One Big Beautiful Bill, we launched the most ambitious reform of air traffic control in history.
The results speak for themselves. The Department has already replaced more than a third of all telecommunications wires from copper to fiber, installed over 150 new radio systems, and more than 44 tower surface awareness systems. And that’s just the beginning. In the last few months, we also brought in a company from the private sector to oversee the project, and we’ve issued new contracts to replace our aging radars with state-of-the-art technology.
Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg said an air traffic control overhaul would take over a decade. We’re on pace to have it done in three years. If that’s not moving at the speed of Trump, I’m not sure what is.
Cracking Down on Illegals in Big Rigs
Our airspace is only one slice of the vast transportation network the Department oversees every day. Take the trucking industry, for example. After letting millions of illegal immigrants flood the United States, Biden & Buttigieg sat by while many of these unqualified foreign drivers were illegally issued licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles.
These drivers have been responsible for horrific crashes across the country that have killed countless innocent Americans.
President Trump understands the importance of keeping you and your family safe on roads, and that’s why in April, he put forward a critical Executive Order to stop this crisis in its tracks.
Taking his lead, the Department jumped into action. In less than a year, we reinstated the penalty for failing English language tests and knocked nearly 12,000 drivers out of service for being unable to read road signs or communicate with law enforcement.
This summer, my Department launched a nationwide audit – exposing California, New York, Minnesota, and countless states for issuing literally thousands of commercial driver’s licenses illegally. Some were given to illegals, while others were given with dates that went far beyond their work authorization.
But we are digging deeper – going after every link in the chain. We already kicked over 6,500 training schools off the books and are working on new verification systems to crack down on fraud.
The bottom line? We will not jeopardize roadway safety for the sake of political correctness.
Lowering Costs
During the campaign, President Trump also promised to end the woke electric vehicle mandates of my predecessor and make driving more affordable again.
To deliver on that promise, we put the working class back in the driver’s seat. USDOT’s new “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” initiative will eliminate Buttigieg’s insane mileage standards – saving every American family nearly $1,000 on a new vehicle. It will also revitalize American auto manufacturing and give consumers the power to buy the car that fits their needs. And starting this year, Americans can deduct up to $10,000 on car loans for American-made vehicles.
Falling car prices are just one piece of the puzzle. Filling up your car at the pump is cheaper than ever thanks to President Trump’s efforts to unleash American energy production. We streamlined energy transportation regulations to generate $600 billion in savings, approved new deepwater ports, and pulled millions from doomed offshore wind projects.
Restoring Maritime Dominance
The revitalization of America’s hollowed-out shipyards is a signature initiative of President Trump’s historic second term. My Department is spearheading this Trump Maritime Renaissance through investments in our ships, ports, and Mariners. No other agency has delivered every vessel on time and on budget since 2020.
However, we can have all the ships in the world, but they mean nothing without the qualified men and women to run them. Overdue investments to the United States Merchant Marine Academy are a top priority. For 250 years, the ocean has been a source of commerce, sustenance, and national security. Our maritime workforce will ensure they will be for the next 250.
These are just a few of the major feats we’ve been able to accomplish with President Trump. From increasing air traffic controller hiring by 20% to taking over Washington’s Union Station and New York’s Penn Station, there aren’t enough pages to capture just how 2025 was for the transportation space.
The good news? 2026 promises to be even more exciting with the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, a major infrastructure bill before Congress, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and so much more. I will keep fighting to move at the speed of Trump to usher in a Golden Age of Transportation.
Editor’s Note: Secretary Sean Duffy serves as the United States Secretary of Transportation under President Donald J. Trump. The Department of Transportation oversees the nation’s aviation, highway, maritime, and rail systems, modernizes critical infrastructure, strengthens transportation safety, and supports American workers and industries across all modes of travel. Follow the Department on X at @USDOT and Secretary Duffy at @SecDuffy.
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