Senate approves Steven Bradbury as deputy transportation secretary

Washington — Steven Bradbury is the new deputy transportation secretary, after the Senate confirmed his nomination with a 51-46 vote on March 11.

Bradbury will work under Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy after a near-party-line vote. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the lone Republican to vote against Bradbury. Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jim Justice (R-WV) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) didn’t vote.

Bradbury was nominated on Jan. 22 by President Donald Trump. He 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.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the nomination with a 15-13 vote on Feb. 27.

During Bradbury’s confirmation hearing on Feb. 20, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who chairs the committee, said Bradbury “will bring a deep understanding of how the department and our transportation systems operate.”

Opposition to his nomination hinged on Bradbury’s past with DOT, namely over concerns about his association with various rulemaking decisions. Sen. Maria Cantwell ( D-WA), ranking member of the committee, reiterated her concerns Feb. 27.

“We must ask ourselves what kind of leadership Mr. Bradbury will provide at DOT,” Cantwell said before the committee vote. “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.”