Newly confirmed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Jan. 29 (his first full day on the job) issued three Orders the agency said in a press release are in keeping with POTUS 47’s agenda to “rescind woke policies, roll back burdensome and costly regulations, restore economic growth and ensure that all USDOT policies align with the Administration’s priorities.” These Orders, the agency said, “deliver on the President’s commitment to rescind harmful policies enacted under the Biden-Harris Administration and reaffirm USDOT’s focus on safety, efficiency, economic prosperity and regulatory reform.”
Duffy signed the Implementation of Executive Orders Addressing Energy, Climate Change, Diversity and Gender Order (called the “Woke Rescission Memorandum” in the press release), which directs USDOT agencies such as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) “to identify and eliminate all Biden-era programs, policies, activities, rules and orders that promote climate change activism; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives; racial equity; gender identity policies; environmental justice; and other partisan objectives.” This Order, USDOT noted, aligns with several POTUS 47 Executive Orders, among them Order 14148, Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions, and Order 14151, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
Duffy’s second Order, Ensuring Reliance Upon Sound Economic Analysis and Department of Transportation Policies, Programs and Activities (called “Lowering Costs Through Smarter Policies, Not Political Ideologies” in the press release), is “an Order ensuring that all USDOT policies, grants, loans and actions are based on sound economic principles, positive cost-benefit analyses and pro-economic growth priorities,” USDOT said. “This order aligns USDOT operations with the President’s agenda to support economic development and strengthen American families by focusing on real, measurable benefits rather than ideological considerations.”
Duffy’s third Order, called “Rescinding Greenhouse Gas Measurement Rule” in the press release, approved submission of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to “rescind the Biden-Harris Administration’s rule requiring state transportation departments to measure and establish declining targets for carbon dioxide emissions on federally supported highways.”
“Today’s actions mark an important step in restoring commonsense governance and merit-based policies at USDOT,” remarked Duffy. “[W]e are focused on eliminating excessive regulations that have hindered economic growth, increased costs for American families and prioritized far-left agendas over practical solutions. The American people deserve an efficient, safe, and pro-growth transportation system based on sound decision-making, not political ideologies. These actions will help us deliver on that promise.”
