Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is taking aim at his predecessors, accusing former President Joe Biden and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg of letting billions in transportation grants gather dust.
In a post on X on Thursday, Duffy said that since he took office, the Department of Transportation (DOT) had uncovered over "1,832 stalled grants" worth a combined $20.6 billion. According to Duffy, these grants were stuck because of "Biden/Buttigieg-era climate and environmental justice red tape."
Duffy didn't just point fingers—he also highlighted his own team's progress. He noted that active construction projects have jumped 60%, with more than 74,000 projects now authorized. "Billions flowing into real roads, bridges, and highways," he said.
The numbers he shared are striking: 888 grants have been executed, and over $8.4 billion in construction projects have been completed. "For perspective: the Biden administration delivered $9.43 BILLION across FOUR YEARS," Duffy's post said.
This isn't the first time Duffy has talked about the backlog. Earlier, he mentioned that the DOT inherited over 3,200 uncleared grants. According to a DOT press release from June 2025, Duffy had already approved 1,065 projects worth roughly $10 billion since taking office.
The Biden administration's approach to infrastructure was different. A January 2021 Politico report noted that the Biden team had halted a highway project in Houston, Texas, by invoking the Civil Rights Act, after activists argued the project would displace Black and Hispanic communities.
Duffy has also been critical of Buttigieg on other fronts. He previously slammed the former Transportation Secretary for failing to upgrade air traffic control towers and for sitting on "mountains of cash." Specifically, Duffy called out Buttigieg for not modernizing the NOTAM system—the Notice to Air Mission/Airmen system that pilots rely on for critical information like weather and runway closures.
Of course, Duffy hasn't escaped controversy himself. He faced widespread criticism for filming a reality TV show amid multiple serious aviation incidents, with California Governor Gavin Newsom calling him a "disgrace."
