The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States, and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.

Sean Duffy has served as the 20th secretary of transportation since January 28, 2025. He was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve this position, and was confirmed by the Senate in a 77-22 vote.

History

The post was created on October 15, 1966, by the Department of Transportation Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The department's mission is "to develop and coordinate policies that will provide an efficient and economical national transportation system, with due regard for need, the environment, and the national defense." while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age 74. <!-- Brief history and general description of dept/sec --> Buttigieg is also the first openly gay man to hold the position, as well as being the first openly gay Cabinet secretary, and the first to seek a full senate confirmation. In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the secretary of transportation called The Fast Lane. On January 23, 2009, the 16th secretary, Ray LaHood, took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican congressman from Illinois for fourteen years.

Anthony Foxx was the 17th U.S. secretary of transportation from 2013 to 2017, when Barack Obama was president. Elaine Chao, who served as the secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, was nominated by Donald Trump on November 29, 2016. On January 31, 2017, the Senate confirmed her appointment by a vote of 93–6. On January 7, 2021, Chao announced her resignation following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, effective January 11. On January 11, 2021, acting deputy secretary of transportation Steven G. Bradbury became acting secretary of transportation. Pete Buttigieg served as the 19th secretary of transportation during the presidency of Joe Biden.

List of secretaries of transportation

; Parties

(8)

(12)

;Status

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="clear:left; text-align:center;"

|-

!

!class=unsortable |Portrait

!Secretary

!State of residence

!Took office

!Left office

!colspan=2 |President

|-

!style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Boyd, Alan" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of a balding man in a suit and striped tie

|

|Florida

|

|

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Johnson, Lyndon" |<br>(1963–1969)

|-

!style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Volpe, John" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of man in a suit and black tie

|

|Massachusetts

|

|

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Nixon, Richard" |<br>(1969–1974)

|-

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Brinegar, Claude" |100px|alt=Color photo of a bald man wearing glasses and a suit with a striped tie

|rowspan=2 |

|rowspan=2 |California

|rowspan=2 |

|rowspan=2 |

|-

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Ford, Gerald" |<br>(1974–1977)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Coleman, Bill" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of an African American man in a suit wearing glasses looking to his left

|

|Pennsylvania

|

|

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Adams, Brockman" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit smiling

|

|Washington

|

|

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Carter, Jimmy" |<br>(1977–1981)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Goldschmidt, Neil" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of a man with a wide smile and short curly hair wearing a light-colored suit

|

|Oregon

|

|

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Lewis, Andrew" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of a man wearing a suit sitting at a desk with his hands folded on it and the DOT logo and US flag behind him

|

|Pennsylvania

|

|

|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=3 data-sort-value="Reagan, Ronald" |<br>(1981–1989)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Dole, Elizabeth" |100px|alt=Photo of a smiling woman wearing earrings

|

|Kansas

|

|

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Burnley, James" |100px|alt=Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit and combed-over hair with the US flag behind him

|

|North Carolina

|

|

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Skinner, Samuel" |100px|alt=Smiling man with thinning hair wearing a suit and a blue tie with the US flag behind him

|

|Illinois

|

|

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Bush, George H. W." |<br>(1989–1993)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Card, Andy" |100px|alt=Smiling man wearing a suit and a red tie

|

|Massachusetts

|

|

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Peña, Federico Fabian" |100px|alt=Hispanic man with large glasses and black hair with the US flag behind him

|

|Colorado

|

|

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Clinton, Bill" |<br>(1993–2001)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Slater, Rodney" |100px|alt=African American man with short hair and a short mustache

|

|Arkansas

|

|

|-

!style="background:#E6E6AA;" |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA data-sort-value="Downey, Mortimer" |100px|alt=Acting United States Secretary of Transportation

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br />

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |Virginia

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|rowspan=4 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=4 data-sort-value="Bush, George W." |<br>(2001–2009)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Mineta, Norm" |100px|alt=Older Japanese American man with glasses wearing a suit with a red tie with the US flag behind him

|

|California

|

|

|-

!style="background:#E6E6AA;" |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA data-sort-value="Cino, Maria" |100px|alt=Acting United States Secretary of Transportation

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br />

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |New York

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Peters, Mary" |100px|alt=Woman with long brown hair with the US flag behind her

|

|Arizona

|

|

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="LaHood, Ray" |100px

|

|Illinois

|

|

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Obama, Barack" |<br>(2009–2017)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Foxx, Anthony" |100px|alt=Mayor Anthony Foxx, Charlotte NC

|

|North Carolina

|

|

|-

!style="background:#E6E6AA;" |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA data-sort-value="Huerta, Michael|100px

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br/>

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |California

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|rowspan=3 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=3 data-sort-value="Trump, Donald" |<br>(2017–2021)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Chao, Elaine" |100px

|

|Kentucky

|

|

|-

!style="background:#E6E6AA;" |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA data-sort-value="Bradbury, Steven" |100px

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br/>

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |Oregon

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|-

!style="background:#E6E6AA;" |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA data-sort-value="Hurdle, Lana" |100px

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br/>

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |Virginia

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Biden, Joe" |<br>(2021–2025)

|-

|style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Buttigieg, Pete" |100px

|

|Indiana

|

|

|-

!style="background:#E6E6AA;" |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |100px

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |<br/>

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |Illinois

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|bgcolor=#E6E6AA |

|rowspan=2 style="background: ;" |

|rowspan=3 data-sort-value="Trump, Donald" |<br>(2025–present)

|-

!style="background: ;" |

|data-sort-value="Duffy, Sean" |100px

|Sean Duffy

|Wisconsin

|

|present

|}

Line of succession

The line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Transportation in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation is as follows:

  1. Deputy Secretary of Transportation
  2. Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
  3. General Counsel
  4. Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs
  5. Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
  6. Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs
  7. Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs
  8. Assistant Secretary for Administration
  9. Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
  10. Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
  11. Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
  12. Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
  13. Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
  14. Administrator of the Maritime Administration
  15. Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
  16. Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  17. Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration
  18. Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
  19. Regional Administrator, Southern Region, Federal Aviation Administration
  20. Director, Resource Center, Lakewood, Colorado, Federal Highway Administration
  21. Regional Administrator, Northwest Mountain Region, Federal Aviation Administration

Notes