Senate Commerce Committee advances Shan Duffy nomination in unanimous committee vote

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted to report President’s nominee Shan Duffy to the Senate floor after an executive-session markup, with the clerk announcing 28 "yes" votes and zero "no" votes.

Committee leaders framed the nomination as a bipartisan step toward addressing transportation safety, permitting and major infrastructure projects. The chair described Duffy as a five-term congressman who led projects such as the St. Croix Crossing and urged colleagues to back the nomination, saying that Duffy would “prioritize safety while fixing our broken permitting process.”

Ranking member kwell said the committee must provide a fair, thorough review and emphasized the broader stakes for infrastructure policy. “This is not a partisan exercise,” kwell said, and noted that Duffy had committed to honoring funding decisions made by the last Congress and to insulating those decisions from political interference.

Members raised concern about a recent executive order that, they said, could freeze or delay bipartisan infrastructure funding. Several senators associated themselves with remarks urging Duffy to press for timely execution of projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

A motion to report the nomination was offered and a roll-call vote was requested. The clerk called the roll and announced that the motion carried with 28 yes votes and no recorded no votes; the nomination was ordered to be reported favorably to the Senate.

After the vote, Senator kachar — who said she had worked with Duffy on a multijurisdictional bridge project — urged him to follow through on bipartisan commitments and expressed continued concern about the potential effects of the recent executive order on project timelines and costs. The committee then adjourned the executive session.

The committee’s action moves the nomination to the full Senate for consideration; no floor vote date was provided in the session.