WASHINGTON, D.C. (LOOTPRESS) – Sean Duffy was sworn in Wednesday as the 20th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), taking immediate action to address car affordability.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath at the Supreme Court, where Duffy was joined by his family.
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Upon arriving at USDOT headquarters, Duffy signed a memorandum directing staff to begin resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
The move aims to lower vehicle costs for consumers and eliminate the electric vehicle mandate.
“I am deeply honored by the trust placed in me by President Trump to lead this important Department and for the Senate in swiftly confirming my nomination,” Duffy said.
“We are already hard at work executing the President’s vision to usher in a golden age of transportation by taking immediate action to remove government overreach and lower costs for hardworking Americans.”
“The memorandum signed today specifically reduces the burdensome and overly restrictive fuel standards that have needlessly driven up the cost of a car in order to push a radical Green New Deal agenda. The American people should not be forced to sacrifice choice and affordability when purchasing a new car.”
The memorandum directs the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of the Undersecretary for Policy, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin a rulemaking process to rescind or replace existing CAFE standards.
Fuel economy regulations have contributed to rising vehicle prices, according to data from Cox Automotive:
- From March 2021 to March 2024, the average cost of a new car rose 15.5%, from $40,881 to $47,218.
- The current standard requires all passenger cars and light trucks to achieve 50.4 miles per gallon by Model Year 2031, which has increased the average price of a new car to nearly $48,000.
- In March 2024, only eight of the 275 new-vehicle models available had transaction prices below $25,000, compared to more than 20 models in March 2021.
The directive aligns with Executive Order 14148, Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions, and Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, both issued by President Trump on January 20, 2025.
