Sean Duffy Must Overhaul the Department of Transportation in Trump’s Second Term

As President Trump’s cabinet takes shape for his second term, it’s clear he intends to upend the status quo across the executive branch. Trump’s nomination of Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation provides a golden opportunity for a complete overhaul of the Department of Transportation (DOT), a critical agency that has become a hub for policies detrimental to America’s middle class and personal freedom. Replacing current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with a loyal ally isn’t enough; a priority for the new DOT leadership must be a rejection of the pervasive anti-car ideology now driving the DOT’s agenda.

Trump’s political success has been built on a coalition of working- and middle-class Americans, the majority of whom depend on personal vehicles for work, freedom, and daily life. Yet federal transportation agencies, tasked with improving mobility, have instead adopted policies that impair car travel and undermine the quality of life these voters cherish. This “war on cars,” driven by cultural elitists within the DOT, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), masquerades as “safety” initiatives while seeking to dismantle a middle-class lifestyle embodied by single-family homes and automobiles.

Under this agenda, individual choice is replaced with a vision of urban “paradises” where people are confined to bicycles or government-run transit systems and restricted to “15-minute cities.” This dystopian vision, built on a crusade against personal vehicles, threatens Americans’ freedom to travel where, when, and how they want.

DOT’s Anti-Car Agenda

Two years ago, the DOT under Buttigieg released a 42-page National Roadway Safety Strategy, introducing radical measures like lowering speed limits to as low as 20 mph in many cities (“20 is plenty”) and enforcing these unrealistic limits with automated ticketing cameras. This initiative is funded by the $1 trillion infrastructure law of 2021 and anchored in a philosophy called Vision Zero. Vision Zero aims to eliminate all roadway deaths—an unattainable utopia that would require complete command and control of our lives, beginning with draconian restrictions on personal vehicle use.

While couched in the language of safety, these policies represent a broader effort to control Americans’ lives. The elimination of personal vehicle usage, sold as a solution to a manufactured “roadway safety crisis,” would erode our standard of living and personal liberties. The hardest hit would be low-income individuals who face greater burdens from traffic fines and often need to travel farther for work or education.

Meanwhile, the DOT and FHWA are piloting programs to tax every mile driven and expanding initiatives like “Complete Streets” and “road diets,” which reallocate car lanes to bike lanes. These measures, often framed as promoting equity, prioritize ideological goals over practical needs, leaving the average motorist to bear the cost in lost time, money, freedom, and opportunity.

Threat to American Innovation and Industry

The personal automobile revolutionized modern life, enabling unprecedented economic growth, innovation, and personal freedom. Cars have allowed Americans to work, travel, and connect in ways unparalleled in human history. This innovation has raised living standards, created new industries, and allowed individuals to flourish.

Yet the policies emerging from federal transportation agencies threaten to reverse these gains. Taxing mileage, reducing roadway access, and penalizing car ownership would not only harm individuals but devastate the U.S. auto industry—a cornerstone of American innovation and global competitiveness.

Time for Action

As Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy has the opportunity to restore the DOT’s focus on improving mobility and protecting personal freedom. To do so, he must purge the department of the woke ideologies that have taken root and prioritize leadership committed to serving America’s motorists. This includes rejecting radical policies like Vision Zero, eliminating taxpayer funding for “road diets” and automated enforcement schemes, and ensuring that federal agencies work to improve—not restrict—personal vehicle usage.

America’s prosperity is inextricably linked to the freedom and innovation enabled by the personal automobile. Preserving this legacy is essential, not just for the individuals who rely on their cars daily, but for the nation’s future as a global leader in mobility and innovation. A second Trump term must prioritize this fight.

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Jay Beeber is the Executive Director of the National Motorists Association