Department of Transportation
Secretary:	Sean Duffy
Year created:	1966
Official website:	DOT.gov

Executive Departments of the United States

Executive DepartmentsDepartment of State •Department of the Treasury •Department of Defense •Department of Justice •Department of the Interior •Department of Agriculture •Department of Commerce •Department of Labor •Department of Health and Human Services •Department of Housing and Urban Development •Department of Transportation •Department of Energy •Department of Education •Department of Veterans Affairs •Department of Homeland Security

Department SecretariesMarco Rubio •Scott Bessent •Pete Hegseth •Pam Bondi •Doug Burgum •Brooke Rollins •Lori Chavez-DeRemer •Robert F. Kennedy Jr. •Scott Turner •Howard Lutnick •Sean Duffy •Chris Wright •Linda McMahon •Doug Collins •Kristi Noem

TheDepartment of Transportation is a United States executive department established in 1966. The department was formed to ensure "a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people."^[1]

Agencies run by the department include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Transportation Administration (FTA), Federal Highway Administration (FHA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration (FHTSA), the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and more.^[2]

Sean Duffy is the current secretary of transportation.Click here to read more about his confirmation process.

History

The Transportation Department was formed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. Like theU.S. Department of Commerce, the Transportation Department has its roots based on the Commerce Clause of theU.S. Constitution. Upon its formation, the department inherited agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration and gained regulatory power over recent federally constructed roadways and railway programs.^[3] The following is a list of important dates throughout the history of the department:^[4]

• 1966: Department of Transportation formed by Public Law 89-670
• 1966: Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMTA) formed
• 1967: Department of Transportation officially operational
• 1968: Federal motor vehicle standards come into effect
• 1970: Amtrak formed
• 1976: Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act passed, allowing "free zones" where railroads can raise and lower fares without federal review
• 1977: Mandates on automatic seatbelts or airbags reinstated starting in 1984
• 1990: Smoking prohibited on domestic flights lasting fewer than six hours
• 1990: National System of Interstate and Defense Highways redesignated the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways
• 2002: Transportation Security Administration formed then transferred to theU.S. Department of Homeland Security

Mission

The Department of Transportation website states the following mission:

Leadership

Sean Duffy is the secretary of transportation.

Note: Votes marked "N/A" represent voice votes or unrecorded votes. Missing votes will be added as they are researched.

Organization

The following was the U.S. Department of Transportation's organizational chart as of May 2020:

Office of the Secretary of Transportation

According to the department's official website, the Office of the Secretary:^[7]

• Oversees national transportation policies;
• Negotiates and implements international transportation policies;
• Regulates United States airlines; and
• Issues preventative regulations in transportation policy in regard to drug and alcohol abuse.

Noteworthy events

U.S. Department of Transportation cancels California high-speed rail grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on May 16, 2019, canceled nearly $1 billion in high-speed rail grants issued to the California High Speed Rail Authority. The federal government canceled the grants in response to the state’s failure to comply with the terms of the original 2010 agreement and failure to make reasonable progress on the project, according to the notice.^[8]

DOT had notified California rail officials in February that it intended to cancel $929 million in grants for construction of the high-speed rail system between Los Angeles and San Francisco. DOT officials also announced that they were, in its words, “actively exploring every legal option” to recoup $2.5 billion that was previously granted to the project for allegedly violating terms of funding.

The California High Speed Rail Authority filed a federal lawsuit challenging the DOT decision on May 21, 2019.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsUnited States Department of Transportation. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe

External links

• Official Department of Transportation website
• Official Facebook page
• Official Twitter page
• Official Youtube channel

Footnotes

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Dresch (2000) "Confronting the Administrative Threat" by Philip Hamburger and Tony Mills (2017) "Constitutionalism after the New Deal" by Cass R. Sunstein (1987) Federalist No. 23 by Alexander Hamilton (1787) "From Administrative State to Constitutional Government" by Joseph Postell (2012) "Interring the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule (2002) "Rulemaking as Legislating" by Kathryn Watts (2015) "The Checks & Balances of the Regulatory State" by Paul R. Verkuil (2016) "The Myth of the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Keith E. Whittington and Jason Iuliano (2017) "The Progressive Origins of the Administrative State: Wilson, Goodnow, and Landis" by Ronald J. Pestritto (2007) "The Rise and Rise of the Administrative State" by Gary Lawson (1994) "The Study of Administration" by Woodrow Wilson (1887) "The Threat to Liberty" by Steven F. Hayward (2017) "Why the Modern Administrative State Is Inconsistent with the Rule of Law" by Richard A. Epstein (2008) Agencies Administrative Conference of the United States •United States Civil Service Commission •U.S. Government Accountability Office •U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs •U.S. Office of Management and Budget