Sean Duffy is an American politician and former television personality who has served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation since January 28, 2025. A Republican, he represented Wisconsin's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2019 and served as acting NASA Administrator from July 9 to December 18, 2025.
Republican who, as a U.S. Representative (2011-2019), proposed a five-member oversight panel for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and sponsored the Puerto Rico debt-oversight law PROMESA.[1]
Earnings by year3
What each year added up to: salary, plus outside income, royalties, endorsements, prizes and investment income where a source reports them. A financial disclosure gives ranges, shown as such.
A disclosure gives a range; its bar is drawn at the middle of the range.
Life phases1
One octagon for each phase of the life of Sean Duffy. Each of the eight axes is scored 0 to 5 against a written rubric from documented evidence, with its source; an axis without evidence is a gap, not a zero. There is no total and no ideal shape: it is a profile, not a ranking. Appearance and personality are not axes, because they cannot be scored from evidence.
OverviewGenerated from documented data: the office held, income against IRS percentiles, the highest recorded degree, and the reviewed legal record. Axes with no documented evidence are left out.
No total and no ideal shape: a longer spoke means more of that axis, so a long Misconduct spoke is more documented misconduct.
Scores, rubric and sources
01Education4 of 5
Medium confidenceHighest recorded degree: B.A. in marketing, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (1994); J.D., William Mitchell College of Law (1999).[1]Highest attainment by then: 1 secondary school, 2 some college, 3 bachelor's degree, 4 master's or professional degree, 5 doctorate.
02Wealth2.5 of 5
Medium confidenceDocumented income of $253,100 in 2026 is in the top 10% of US returns by adjusted gross income (IRS, tax year 2022, as tabulated by the Tax Foundation). Income, not net worth.[2]Net worth or income against the national thresholds of the time: 1 below the median household, 3 top 5%, 5 top 0.1%.
03Position4 of 5
High confidenceSecretary of Transportation: a national-level executive office.[1]Scope of the role held: 1 entry level, 3 senior manager or legislator, 5 head of state or government, or the top role of a major institution.
04Public standingNo evidence
Public approval or favourability where it was measured: 1 under 20%, 3 35 to 50%, 5 over 65%.
05HealthNo evidence
Documented health where an examination or disclosure exists: 5 no documented concern, 1 a serious documented condition.
06MisconductNo evidence
The documented legal and ethics record within the phase, as in the misconduct meter: 0 none documented, 1 only matters resolved in their favour, 2 an open matter, 3 one finding, 4 two or three, 5 four or more. More is more documented misconduct.
07Social goodNo evidence
Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on health, safety, education, rights and the environment, from official statistics or peer-reviewed evidence: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
08Economic goodNo evidence
Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on efficiency, growth and fiscal sustainability, from CBO and peer-reviewed evidence, as in the good-for-society reading: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
Laws and contributions8
Laws4
Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA)[5]Pub. L. 114-187SponsorJune 30, 2016Introduced in the House by Duffy in 2016 to create a federal oversight board and a debt-restructuring process for Puerto Rico; signed by President Obama on June 30, 2016.+1.0Assessed impact · Medium confidence
Fiscal
+1.0
GAO found Puerto Rico's public debt fell by $12.5 billion (19 percent) between fiscal years 2016 and 2022, that most debt was restructured through PROMESA's processes, and that FY2022 government-wide statements showed a $1.9 billion net surplus; GAO also flags continuing risks (PREPA debt litigation, pension liabilities, population decline) and does not isolate the Act's causal effect on growth.
Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017[7]H.R. 3042 (companion); S. 585; Pub. L. 115-73AuthorOctober 26, 2017Duffy introduced the House companion, H.R. 3042, on June 23, 2017; the law was enacted as S. 585 and signed October 26, 2017, with Sen. Ron Johnson thanking Duffy for his work on it.
Follow the Rules Act[8]H.R. 657; Pub. L. 115-40SponsorJune 14, 2017Amended 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(9)(D) to bar personnel actions against federal employees who refuse an order that would violate a rule or regulation, not only a law; introduced by Duffy on January 24, 2017.
Second Lt. Ellen Ainsworth Memorial Post Office designation[9]H.R. 4046; Pub. L. 114-176SponsorJune 13, 2016Duffy introduced H.R. 4046 on November 17, 2015, naming the Glenwood City, Wisconsin, post office after a World War II Army nurse; it became law on June 13, 2016.
Bills1
Family Self-Sufficiency Act (H.R. 4258)[10]H.R. 4258SponsorNovember 6, 2017Introduced with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver on November 6, 2017 to merge HUD's two Family Self-Sufficiency programs; passed the House 412-5 in January 2018 and was referred to the Senate Banking Committee.
Offices held2
U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district[1]MemberJanuary 3, 2011Served in the House from January 3, 2011 to September 23, 2019, including as chairman of the Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee from November 2014.
Acting Administrator of NASA[1]LedJuly 9, 2025Named acting NASA Administrator on July 9, 2025, succeeding Janet Petro, and served until Jared Isaacman was sworn in on December 18, 2025.
Initiatives1
Air traffic control system modernization plan[11]LedMay 8, 2025Unveiled a Department of Transportation plan on May 8, 2025 to replace air traffic control telecommunications, radios, radars and other equipment, with completion targeted in about four years.
CONFIRMEDDate confidence: CONFIRMEDStated as firmHow firmly the source words the date: confirmed, scheduled, estimated, delayed or unverified.Show all CONFIRMED pins88% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 88%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 4 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better223 days ago
Stated as firm on the opinion itself: "Filed 03/03/26", "OPINION AND ORDER", signed by Lewis J. Liman; Streetsblog[3] and NY1[4] reported it the same day.
In a 149-page opinion, Judge Lewis Liman held that USDOT unlawfully terminated the federal agreement behind Manhattan's congestion toll, and that any attempt to enforce Sean Duffy's letters ending it would be unlawful.
CONFIRMEDDate confidence: CONFIRMEDStated as firmHow firmly the source words the date: confirmed, scheduled, estimated, delayed or unverified.Show all CONFIRMED pins88% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 88%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 4 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better1.6 years ago
Stated as firm by Gov. Hochul (governor.ny.gov[1], 19 Feb 2025): "At 1:01 p.m. today, The U.S. Department of Transportation emailed us a letter from Secretary Duffy, announcing their attempt to end the congestion pricing program" (13:01 EST = 18:01Z).
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy withdrew the Federal Highway Administration's approval of Manhattan's $9 congestion toll in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul; the MTA sued in federal court the same afternoon.
3
Sources11
Every statement about Sean Duffy on this page comes from the wiki behind it, which cites each fact to the numbered source it was read from. Read the wiki
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
