Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has instructed his agency to focus their work and programming on communities with higher birth and marriage rates.
Duffy, who was confirmed by the Senate last week in a 77-22 vote, is a former Wisconsin congressperson, reality TV star and father to nine. Now, he has issued a memo ordering that all “DOT-supported or -assisted programs and activities…give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.”
U.S. birth rates reached a historic low last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“One of DOT’s main objectives is to fund safe and efficient infrastructure throughout the U.S.,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. “As projects are evaluated, many factors will be considered, including areas with strong population growth.”
It’s unclear exactly which communities will be most impacted by this order. However, South Dakota, Alaska and Nebraska have some of the highest fertility rates in the country, while Oregon, Washington, D.C. and Vermont are at the bottom of the list, according to the CDC.
Alaska also has one of the highest marriage rates in the country, alongside Utah, Census data shows.
The memo, which is effective immediately, also notes priority will be given to projects and goals that “require local compliance or cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and with other goals and objectives specified by the president of the United States or the secretary.”
The policy could impact, among other programs, the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant, meaning investments in public transportation including commuter rail, light rail and bus transit, according to The Hill.
This comes as President Donald Trump enacts his hardline immigration agenda, which has included attempting to end birthright citizenship and carrying out mass deportations.
State and federal lawmakers have already expressed their concern about Duffy’s new policy.
“I got to be honest, I’ve really tried here but I do not see a connection,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey told reporters Monday. “We’re a state that’s very serious about ensuring that our residents and our business have access to the highest quality public transit in the entire country.”
Jessica Tillipman, an associate dean for government procurement law studies at The George Washington University Law School, told Construction Dive this is the first time she has “ever seen what I call a collateral preference for marriage and birth rate.”
