Steven Bradbury’s nomination for deputy transportation secretary moves to full Senate

Washington — Steven Bradbury’s nomination for deputy transportation secretary was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee with a 15-13 vote on Feb. 27.

The nomination now moves to the full Senate for approval. No date has been set for the vote.

Nominated on Jan. 22 by President Donald Trump, Bradbury served as the Department of Transportation’s general counsel during the first Trump administration and was acting deputy transportation secretary from September 2019 until Trump’s term ended in January 2021.

Bradbury also served as acting transportation secretary for eight days as the term concluded.

Speaking before the vote, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who chairs the committee, echoed the support he shared for Bradbury during a Feb. 20 confirmation hearing.

“Mr. Bradbury will bring a deep understanding of how the department and our transportation systems operate,” Cruz said. “He is intimately familiar with the department’s past attempts to address transportation challenges such as aviation safety, and he has learned from his experiences. This background will be invaluable in his new role when he’s confirmed.”

Bradbury faced scrutiny regarding his past with DOT during the confirmation hearing, namely over concerns about his association with various rulemaking decisions.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the committee, reiterated her opposition to the nomination Feb. 27.

“We must ask ourselves what kind of leadership Mr. Bradbury will provide at DOT,” Cantwell said. “In his previous role, he was involved in what I would call ‘commonsense’ requirements that were rolled back in his time period. Fatigue-prevention requirements for truck drivers were loosened, a record number of rail safety requirements were waived and, most troubling, a proposed rule on safety management systems for aviation manufacturers … was sidelined.”