At the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2026 Washington Briefing in Washington, D.C., Sean Duffy (above at right) – secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation – detailed key aspects of his agency’s policy focus for 2026.
[Above photo by AASHTO]
“We should have a higher standard in transportation. That is not political. That is just good policy,” he explained in a fireside chat discussion with Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation and AASHTO’s 2025-2026 president.
“We should be able to drive more projects, make things safer, and make things more efficient,” Duffy said. “That is my philosophy.”
He noted that one of his missions when he officially became USDOT secretary in 2025 has been to make the department work better with greater efficiency.
“We know that, while [transportation] policies may change from administration to administration, the departmental structure has not changed,” Duffy said. “So we’ve restructured things so we can respond better and faster to the needs of the American people.”
He also noted that USDOT is working to create more transparency as well, especially as the deadline for surface transportation funding reauthorization approaches.
“When our nation’s infrastructure is rated as a ‘C,’ how do we improve that? What is the federal priority? That is why we need to be more focused on how we spend our funding,” Duffy said.
That, in turns, requires what he described as more “honesty” in USDOT’s communication with the states where infrastructure projects are concerned.
“It matters that all of us do a better job with infrastructure,” Duffy emphasized. “Give us the feedback on how we are doing – the good bad and ugly. Honesty matters. And we need to be honest with you and say ‘this is the problem with your grant request’ or your project and let you know why you are not getting funding. We need to do a better job of providing feedback on what we are thinking. That will help you do better job and make sure we pick the best projects.”
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