Partnership for Public Service statement on the confirmation of Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy

January 28, 2025

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier after Sean Duffy was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of the Department of Transportation. 

“The Partnership for Public Service congratulates former Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin on his confirmation as secretary of the Department of Transportation, where he will manage a $70 billion budget and will be responsible for overseeing the nation’s aviation and maritime systems, highways, railroads and public transit.” 

Stier continued, “We are heartened by Secretary Duffy’s commitment to work on a bipartisan basis to prioritize rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure as well as to promote innovation and safety. We hope the secretary and his leadership team will make full use of the knowledge and expertise of the department’s career civil servants. This collaboration will be critical for the department to successfully implement its wide-ranging agenda and serve the public most effectively.” 

The Partnership’s Department of Transportation agency performance dashboard provides insights about the department’s operations and workforce. Some key data points include:   

• 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government score and rank: 70.9 out of 100, ranking 6 out of 17 large agencies    

• Effective Leadership Score: 71.6 out of 100, ranking 8 out of 17 large agencies     

• Number of Senate-confirmed positions: 18   

The Partnership also produces and maintains several resources to assess and analyze the health of the federal government, including a political appointments tracker with The Washington Post that follows the progress of roughly 800 of President Trump’s Senate-confirmed positions. The annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government^® rankings measure employee engagement government-wide as well as at individual departments, agencies and subcomponents. Additionally, our Vision for a Better Government provides areas of focus for management reforms.  

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.      

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.          

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