Chairman

Daniel B. Maffei
Chief of Staff: Mary T. Hoang Counsel: Michael Amy Senior Advisor – Legislative/Public Affairs: John K. DeCrostaContact Information
Phone: (202) 523-5911 Email: DMaffei@fmc.govBiography:
Daniel B. Maffei, of New York, was designated by President Biden as Chairman of the Federal Maritime on March 29, 2021. He was first nominated to serve on the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate on June 29, 2016. He was then nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 2, 2019.
As a Commissioner, Mr. Maffei has shown a particular interest in addressing the vulnerability of the global transportation system to industry-wide financial and security risks. He has spoken at national and international conferences on the changing nature of the economics of international shipping due to technological advances and the pressures that newer and larger carriers have placed on U.S. transportation infrastructure.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Commissioner Maffei’s career in government spans more than twenty years. He was elected to two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2015. Immediately prior to his initial appointment to the FMC, Mr. Maffei was a Senior Advisor at the United States Department of Commerce.
Commissioner Maffei’s time in Congress included service on the House Armed Services Committee, House Financial Services Committee, and House Judiciary Committee. His priority on the Armed Services Committee was to improve the military’s capacity to defend the country from terrorist and cyber threats. He worked on several provisions in the 2013 and 2014 armed services authorization bills to support and promote new and better technologies. On the Financial Services Committee, he focused on consumer protection and helped improve and pass, with increased bipartisan support, the Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights of 2009, a law that took important steps to level the playing field between customers and card issuers. Commissioner Maffei also served on the House Committee on Science and Technology and was Ranking Member of its Oversight Subcommittee.
While serving in Congress, Commissioner Maffei’s Central New York district included the Port of Oswego, the first U.S. port of call and deepwater port on the Great Lakes. Working closely with Representative Richard L. Hanna and New York’s Senators, he was able to secure vital funding to improve the port’s rail link and the resources to better dredge the port.
Commissioner Maffei has substantial experience teaching and researching at universities and think tanks. In 2018, Mr. Maffei spent six months away as a Professor of Practice at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management before returning to the FMC. He has taught on the faculty of the New York State College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) and has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Third Way. For several years, he served on the American Board of Advisors for Global Panel, a Prague-based organization that works primarily behind the scenes to facilitate solutions to various international conflicts and crises.
Commissioner Maffei’s private sector experience includes time as an independent consultant, a Senior Policy Advisor at Manatt, Phelps, Phillips LLP, and an executive at Pinnacle Capital Management, LLC (Syracuse, NY).
From 1998 to 2005, Commissioner Maffei worked on the Democratic staff of the House Ways and Means Committee. Previously, he had been Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan from 1997 to 1998 and Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Bill Bradley in 1996.
Commissioner Maffei received his bachelor’s degree in History and American Civilization from Brown University and holds master’s degrees from the Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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Maffei 2023 Malcom McLean Award Winner
Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel Maffei was honored by the Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers as the 2023 Malcom McLean Award winner in recognition of his leadership and work over the past year supporting the intermodal transportation industry. The award was presented by Tom Heimgartner, Chairman of the Executive Board… Read More »
Testimony of Chairman Maffei before Congress: “Review of Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Federal Maritime Transportation Programs, and Implementation of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022”
Testimony of Daniel B. Maffei Chairman Federal Maritime Commission Before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Federal Maritime Commission’s Fiscal… Read More »
Statement of Chairman Daniel B. Maffei on the Denial of the PMSA/WSC Petition for Review
Today, the Federal Maritime Commission issued an order – approved unanimously by the five Commissioners – rejecting the petition by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) and the World Shipping Council (WSC) objecting to the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact in the Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking… Read More »
Chairman Maffei Participates in US-UK Bilateral Maritime Consultation
Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel Maffei participated virtually in a meeting held today in London between the U.S. and U.K. agencies responsible for maritime matters in the two nations. The meeting was hosted by Dr. Rannia Leontaridi, the Director General of the Aviation, Maritime and Security Group, U.K. Department for… Read More »