Trump Picks Sean Duffy, Former Congressman, As Transportation Secretary

Washington:

Donald Trump on Monday nominated former congressman Sean Duffy to be transportation secretary and oversee a huge federal portfolio of infrastructure spending and transit regulations.

As the incoming Republican administration promises a swath of spending cuts, Trump in a statement praised Duffy's advocacy in congress for "fiscal responsibility."

Still, with the leader of the Department of Transportation tasked with overseeing major infrastructure upgrades and maintenance, the president-elect said Duffy, from Wisconsin, worked with Democratic colleagues in Congress on a major road and bridge project.

And as the Trump administration seeks to slash regulations, the incoming president said Duffy would eliminate racial diversity programs for pilots and air traffic controllers.

"He will prioritize excellence, competence, competitiveness and beauty when rebuilding America's highways, tunnels, bridges and airports," Trump said.

Duffy -- like defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth -- is a television host, with the former on Fox Business and the latter on the arch-conservative Fox News.

As Trump rounds out his picks for his cabinet -- which will help him attempt to carry out an agenda of trade tariffs and mass deportations -- he has tapped a mix of political allies, firebrands, and a few relatively conventional figures, with loyalty to Trump what he values most.

The Republican-led Senate will need to approve his nominees, and Trump is already facing pushback from his own party on some.

Former congressman Matt Gaetz, tapped to lead the Justice Department, was probed by the House ethics committee for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl years ago and for other alleged offenses.

The Justice Department also investigated him but brought no criminal charges.

Still, Washington is waiting eagerly to see if the House Ethics Committee report on him will be released to the Senate and/or the general public.

Hegseth, who would lead the Pentagon, is under scrutiny after it was revealed he paid a settlement to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, as part of a non-disclosure agreement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)