Hill Heat

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing to consider nominees to the Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority at 2:15 PM EST on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Nominees:

• Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
• Daniel J. “Dan” Edwards, of North Carolina, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs
• Trent Morse, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

McCormack is currently the deputy chief of staff to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. When Duffy was in Congress, McCormack was his legislative director and campaign manager. He then served as chief of staff to Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.). The policy undersecretary position is the No. 3 post in the department.

Daniel J. Edwards is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs and was sworn in as Acting Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs on May 5, 2025. Prior to joining DOT, he served as CEO of privately held businesses in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), as well supply chain and distribution. Dan also has extensive business leadership in airborne C4ISR and airfield infrastructure. Edwards served over 23 years in the USAF and USAF Reserves as both a KC-10 pilot and airfield civil engineer.

Trent Michael Morse is a Trumpist political operative and lobbyist who served as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office from January to September 2025. Morse graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree and from the university’s College of Law with a Juris Doctor. While in law school, he worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Morse served in several government positions after graduating, including the Florida Department of Transportation, a transportation and infrastructure holding company, the Florida Governor’s Office, and the United States Department of Transportation as a special assistant. In July 2018, Morse became the United States Department of Health and Human Service’s liaison to the Trump administration. He was central in secretary of health and human service Alex Azar’s efforts to assume greater control over the department. In March 2020, Morse was hired by Ballard Partners. He was the host committee president for the 2020 Republican National Convention, after Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded the convention, and the campaign manager for Tudor Dixon’s campaign in the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election. In January 2023, Morse became a senior vice president of Mercury Public Affairs. He led outreach at the 2024 Republican National Convention and was involved in the Trump’s second presidential transition. In January 2025, Trump named Morse as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. He led Trump’s efforts to fire members of commissions and boards. Morse resigned in September to form his own lobbying firm, Morse Strategies, and to serve as a senior strategic advisor to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.