WASHINGTON, D.C. — Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy rolled out a series of sweeping initiatives last week aimed at boosting safety and rebuilding core infrastructure, from unlocking billions in long-delayed rail grants to cracking down on unsafe commercial drivers.
The Department of Transportation obligated more than $42 million for long-stalled Brightline Florida safety projects, including fencing, grade crossing upgrades, and trespassing alert systems. The grants, first announced under the Biden administration, were never executed, Duffy said, leaving rail passengers and communities at risk. “Under President Trump’s leadership, America is building again,” he said.
At the same time, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a new $5 billion funding opportunity under the National Railroad Partnership Program, prioritizing grade crossing improvements and safety over previous equity and climate requirements. Roughly half the money comes from funds de-obligated from California’s high-speed rail project.
The FAA also surpassed its 2025 hiring goal, bringing in 2,026 new air traffic controllers — exceeding its target of 2,000. Duffy has pledged to supercharge hiring through 2028 to reverse years of staffing declines. “These latest numbers show our supercharge effort is continuing to hit milestones,” he said.
Meanwhile, Duffy announced an emergency rule restricting non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses after a federal audit uncovered widespread irregularities, particularly in California. States must now pause issuance of noncompliant licenses and revoke improperly issued CDLs or risk losing federal highway funds. “Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers — often times illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road,” Duffy said.
Other initiatives included a $35.9 million loan to expand freight capacity at Washington state’s Port of Longview and the launch of a modernized National Consumer Complaint Database for truckers and consumers.
The announcements mark a broad push by the Trump administration’s transportation team to accelerate stalled projects, shift resources to safety priorities, and impose stricter oversight on commercial drivers in the wake of fatal crashes.
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