I have observed the advancement of a homegrown Wisconsin boy, Sean Duffy, from afar. With some admiration too. What's not to like about a lumberjack from Hayward, WI?
Indeed, Duffy was a professional lumberjack having competed in Hayward's Lumberjack World Championship on several occasions and winning multiple titles in speed climbing. He graduated from St. Mary's College of Minnesota with a marketing degree and from William Mitchell College of Law in 1999. In 2002 governor Scott McCallum appointed Duffy as Ashland County District Attorney where he served until 2010.
In 2010 he defeated state senator Julie Lassa for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional district; formerly held by retiring representative David Obey. Duffy was re-elected four more times before resigning from Congress in 2019 on account of a newborn child's health complications. After leaving Congress Duffy worked for a consulting group and began co-hosting Fox Business's The Bottom Line in 2023.
In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Duffy to serve as his Secretary of Transportation. Duffy was confirmed by the Senate on January 28, 2025 and immediately sworn-in.
As cabinet Secretary Duffy isn't generally associated with much of the drama and intrigue that ordinarily follows other cabinet officials. Much of this is a consequence of a department not generally bedeviled by the culture wars, there is institutional inherited momentum in the pipeline (pardon the pun), ribbon cuttings are positive events and any project delays can be chalked-up to government bureaucracy. Because bricks and mortar are basically boring background noise Transportation is likely the quietly safest cabinet post on the planet. Which leads me to this: Scuttlebutt that Secretary Duffy is taking credit for infrastructure grants signed into law by former president Biden.
Say it isn't so.
With a modicum of digging it is quite so.
Seems Duffy is touting BUILD grants (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) as rebranded RAISE grants (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) created and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in 2021.
Critics note that the Trump administration has been resurrecting previously-passed legislation with new names while not always acknowledging their origin under the former guy.
Official messaging from Duffy and the Department frequently describe moving or approving grants emphasizing that the Trump administration is clearing a backlog or getting America building again of previously announced projects. Such messaging frames the work as a fresh accomplishment by the current administration - omitting any reference to funding under Biden.
Representative O'Brien meets with Transportation Secretary Duffy to discuss the I-69 Ohio River Crossing. The ORX bridge involves a mix of federal, state (Kentucky and Indiana) and toll authority funding for the estimated $933 million project. The states are pursuing $632.3 million in major federal grants, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) signed in 2021 was huge; authorizing roughly $1.2 trillion in infrastructure funding much of which continues to be allocated and spent as you read this.
In the year since Trump took office not a single stand-alone infrastructure law has been passed. Major federal infrastructure authorizations all stem from laws passed before Joe Biden left office.
Noteworthy, is the administration has focused on regulation and permitting; pushing changes intended to speed-up infrastructure approvals by means of revising matters such as environmental permitting. Recent rollbacks of long-standing environmental review requirements aim to reduce delays on large projects which supporters suggest accelerates infrastructure work without creating entirely new federal infrastructure spending authorizations.
Nevertheless, the current administration has not passed into law any large scale infrastructure spending of its own. Major funding still originates from earlier bipartisan legislation enacted under former President Biden or other existing statutory authority.
It's not exactly like plagiarizing a term paper as much as it is more like stealing someone else's thunder. Or maybe their lunch from the office break room fridge. And much like never accepting responsibility for anything that goes awry; the administration is quick to message another's work as their own and take credit and recognition for someone else's efforts. All in the name of benefiting from unearned achievements passed-off as their own.
Nothing new under the sun; we've all been to this rodeo before.....
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