Senate approves Chao as Transportation secretary

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed presidential nominee Elaine Chao, a former deputy secretary of transportation and secretary of labor, as secretary of the Department of Transportation by a vote of 93-6.    The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed presidential nominee Elaine Chao as secretary of the Department of Transportation by a vote of 93-6. 
   Chao, who previously served as deputy secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush and as secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, was nominated for the role by new President Donald Trump back in November 2016.
   Born in Taiwan, Chao emigrated to the U.S. with her parents when she was eight, and began her career as shipping banker with Citicorp after graduating from Harvard Business School. Her father, James, was also involved in the shipping business.
   Prior to her time with the Department of Labor, Secretary Chao was president and chief executive officer of United Way of America and a director of the Peace Corps. She also served deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) under President Ronald Reagan.
   Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and has been a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank, as well as the Hudson Institute. The Heritage Foundation has frequently publicized the views of opponents of the “Jones Act,” legislation that reserves transportation of cargo between points within the United States to ships built in the U.S., owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by Americans.
   Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which reviewed Chao’s nomination last month, said he is looking forward to working with Chao on a transportation agenda that will increase innovation and boost the nation’s economy.
   “Elaine Chao has the experience, ability, and now the bipartisan backing of the Senate to address our nation’s transportation and infrastructure challenges,” Thune said in a statement. “Her unwavering commitment to public service will be an asset to the Department of Transportation and the new administration.”
   Trump has previously floated a $1 trillion proposal for U.S. infrastructure improvements over the next ten years, but details of how the plan will be funded remain scant. Chao indicated at her confirmation hearing that the new administration will look to leverage private sector investment in constructing highways, bridges and other facilities.
   Other top priorities for Chao as secretary of transportation include implementation of additional safety measures across various modes and establishing the ground rules for integrating new technologies into the transportation system, including vehicle-to-vehicle communication, autonomous vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems, better known to most as drones.
   “Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a whirlwind period of innovation in transportation – driven by swift advances in cloud computing, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. This, in turn, is changing the fundamental makeup of entire industries,” Regina Hopper, president and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) said of Chao’s confirmation. “Our members would like to work closely with you to build a transportation infrastructure that is the technological envy of the world – a national system that drives economic growth, enhances global competitiveness, advances safety, and improves mobility.”
   ITS America said it appreciates the perspective Secretary Chao offered in her confirmation hearings, where she acknowledged that the private sector is driving innovation in transportation, and stressed the importance of positioning “the federal government as a catalyst for safe, efficient technologies, not as an impediment.”