Department of Transportation News

The Daily Signal reports on Department of Transportation news with analysis and commentary on infrastructure spending, highway policy, airline regulations, electric vehicle mandates, and the federal government’s role in transportation and mobility across America.
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  • opinion

    America’s Love Affair With the Road Endures
    BEDFORD, Pennsylvania—For the briefest of moments, a line of vintage Rolls-Royce automobiles chugged along the curving Cumberland Road. They passed over the Cumberland Run a handful of times and wound themselves down the mountains, away from Pennsylvania and toward the city of steeples, Cumberland. The sight gives the bystander a moment to imagine what it…
    Salena Zito
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  • news

    Trump Team to Restore ‘Integrity and Safety’ for American Truckers
    Legislation that would bar illegal immigrants and non-English speakers from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses is advancing in the U.S. House after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy renewed his push for the measure this week. “Dalilah’s Law would have revoked this illegal trucker’s license,” Duffy wrote on X, responding to reports that an illegal immigrant truck driver…
    Pedro Rodriguez
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  • opinion

    Duffy’s ‘Great American Road Trip’ Promotes American Culture
    Road trips are quintessentially American. What’s more America than a family packing into an SUV and driving hundreds of miles across state borders, eating homemade sandwiches and entertaining children with endless games of “I Spy,” just to see beautiful views and a couple of major landmarks? Family road trips from our home in southern Michigan…
    Francesca Cella
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  • news

    Mehek Cooke Warns Ideological Decisions Are Hurting American Consumers
    Mehek Cooke, senior national security and legal analyst at The Daily Signal, warned that the shutdown of Spirit Airlines exposes a broader failure by the Biden administration and Democrat leaders to think through the real-world consequences of ideologically driven policy decisions, which she says are now directly hurting American consumers. Appearing on NewsNation over the…
    Mehek Cooke
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  • news

    Americans on a Budget Mourn Loss of Low-Cost Spirit Airlines
    NEW YORK, May 2 (Reuters) — U.S. travelers lamented news of the shutdown of Spirit Airlines on Saturday, saying that the closure of the ultra-low-cost carrier eliminates one of the few air travel options for low-income and working-class Americans. Spirit abruptly cancelled flights overnight, stranding passengers and staff around the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America,…
    Laila Kearney
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  • news

    Moreno Demands Answers Over Deadly Truck Crash Involving Illegal Immigrant
    Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is looking to do something about deadly truck crashes involving foreigners. This week, Moreno sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demanding answers regarding Modou Ngom, an illegal immigrant alleged to be responsible for a deadly incident earlier this month in…
    Rebecca Downs
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  • news

    US Air Traffic Control Undergoes Biggest Upgrade Since the Jet Age
    Summary The U.S. Department of Transportation this week converted the atrium of its Washington, D.C., headquarters into a first-of-its kind exhibit featuring decades-old aviation equipment—and the new technology that is replacing it.  Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hosted hundreds of aviation partners and industry leaders at Tuesday’s Modern Skies Summit, touting major upgrades to the nation’s air traffic control system. “This is truly the largest overhaul in aviation since the jet…
    Abigail Matsuyoshi
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  • news

    Why the Department of Transportation Is Asking Americans to Travel in 2026
    “Celebrate your country by seeing your country.”  With that message to Americans, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy kicked off a new national campaign Friday at Union Station in Washington, D.C.—one designed to remind Americans that the freedom to move has always been at the heart of the American story. As the nation celebrate its 250th birthday this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled “Freedom…
    Katherine Matt
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  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: How Transportation Secretary Will Help Trump Defund Woke Universities
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to revamp the agency’s university grant program after axing requirements that the schools fund diversity, equity, and inclusion and environmental initiatives, The Daily Signal can first report. Duffy plans to announce $33 million in grants to universities to “unleash American innovation.” This comes after the Department…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    Shutdown Will Disrupt Air Travel, Transportation Chief Warns
    Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy delivered a stern message at the Capitol on Thursday: The federal government shutdown is already putting a strain on air traffic controllers, and the problem will only get worse until the government reopens. “Next Tuesday is the first paycheck that [air traffic controllers] will not receive for the work that…
    George Caldwell
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  • news

    Transportation Secretary Celebrates Inaugural Ride of New High-Speed Train
    President Donald Trump is overhauling the train stations in Washington, D.C., and New York City. The Trump administration is taking over the management of Washington’s Union Station. The move comes amid the administration’s effort to clean up crime in American cities, starting with the nation’s capital. “I think the president has been pretty clear on…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    3 Blue States Could Be at Fault in Fatal Florida Car Crash, Transportation Secretary Says
    The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating three blue states’ possible involvement in an Aug. 12 fatal car crash in Florida that killed three. Illegal immigrant truck driver Harjinder Singh stands accused of causing the crash by making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike 19 miles north of Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County. He…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: 1,500 Truck Drivers Taken Out of Service for Poor English Following Transportation Department Directive
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Following new guidelines from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to enforce English language proficiency for commercial truck drivers, 1,500 drivers have had their licenses placed out of service by law enforcement, The Daily Signal has learned. “‘America First’ means safety first. Americans are a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: Trump Transportation Department Reforms Biden ‘Climate Justice’ Program
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Donald Trump’s Department of Transportation is moving away from the Biden administration’s climate justice initiative, which made it harder and pricier to build buses. Joe Biden’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, forced grant recipients of a $1.5 billion Federal Transit Administration grant program to build buses in accordance with low or…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    Transportation Secretary Unveils Overhaul of ‘Antiquated’ Air Traffic Control Systems
    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a massive overhaul of the United States’ antiquated air traffic control system to modernize operations and reduce delays and inefficiencies. “This proposal seeks to transform the United States’ air traffic control system from its antiquated system to a modern system capable of meeting the demands of today and the future,”…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s Transportation Department Cut $9.5B of Waste in 100 Days
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Secretary Sean Duffy is celebrating 100 days of prioritizing safety and efficiency at the Department of Transportation. “The Department of Transportation is focused on its core mission of safety and efficiency,” Duffy said in a statement shared with The Daily Signal. “Under this administration, America is building again—forging a future with…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • opinion

    Distracted By Climate Change? Former Trump Transportation Official Weighs in on Bridge Collapse
    What will be the long-term impact of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, Tuesday? What industries will be affected and how? And who in the U.S. supervises ship safety—and are they prioritizing safety ahead of issues like climate change? Steve Bradbury, who formerly served as acting deputy secretary of the…
    Brian Gottstein
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  • opinion

    California Transportation Policy Is Not for the Free
    MIDLAND, Texas—Here in Texas oil country, your Uber is more likely to be a pickup than a Prius. Daniel, who works in the oil pipeline business when he’s not driving for Uber, picked me up from Midland International Air & Space Port in his Chevy Silverado. Born in Midland Memorial Hospital and raised in Midland,…
    Diana Furchtgott-Roth
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  • opinion

    Amid Aviation Crisis, Buttigieg’s Transportation Department Expands Vacation
    "Secretary Pete" seems more focused on holiday leave than fixing issues with the Department of Transportation. Things aren’t going to well for Pete Buttigieg on a number of fronts. As the secretary of transportation, he is also in charge of the Federal Aviation Administration. Wednesday morning, the FAA halted all outbound flights throughout the country…
    Roman Jankowski
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  • news

    Transportation Chief Buttigieg Uses Taxpayer-Funded Private Jets Despite Calling for Curbing Carbon Emissions
    A Biden administration Cabinet member has taken at least 18 taxpayer-funded private jets since taking office despite a strong stance on curbing carbon emissions, according to a Monday release by Americans for Public Trust. Pete Buttigieg, the 19th secretary of transportation, has reportedly taken a minimum of 18 taxpayer-funded flights while using private jets managed by…
    Bronson Winslow
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