NCL statement on confirmation of DOT Secretary Sean Duffy
Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, (202)- 207-2829
Washington, DC – Today, the Senate confirmed Sean Duffy as secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Secretary Duffy will lead the Department as a number of critical aviation passenger protection issues remain unresolved or unaddressed, including:
· Acting on an unfulfilled Congressional mandate to require airlines to seat families together, without incurring extra charges
· Acting on multiple unfulfilled Congressional mandates to establish minimum seat sizes
· Acting on an unfulfilled Congressional mandate to update emergency evacuation standards that are decades out of date
· Defending the Department’s authority to require transparent pricing of airfares against a lawsuit brought by air carriers
· Bringing U.S. regulations in line with international standards to promote market competition and provide cash compensation to passengers affected by significant flight disruptions and cancellations
Secretary Duffy will also be charged with curbing the unacceptably high number of automobile fatalities and injuries on our nation’s roads, which accounted for approximately 42,000 deaths and over 5.2 million injuries in 2022.
“Secretary Duffy inherits the mantle of one of the most pro-consumer DOT’s we’ve ever seen,” said John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud. “We look forward working with the new leadership at DOT to complete these outstanding airline passenger protection to-do’s and take additional steps to promote the public interest and competition in our nation’s transportation industries more broadly.”
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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit nclnet.org.