On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing to consider the Honorable Elaine Chao to be Secretary of the Department of Transportation.  Chao previously served as the Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, and was the Deputy Secretary of Transportation under President George H.W. Bush. 

During the hearing, Secretary Chao was asked a number of questions about the new Administration’s policy positions across all modes of transportation.  With respect to rural communities, Secretary Chao praised the previous Congress for their ability to pass the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, and said she would work to ensure that the successful balance in the bill that was struck between urban and rural areas was kept.  Secretary Chao also recognized the need in rural communities to have easy access to affordable air service and pledged to not only keep the essential air service (EAS) program but to find ways in which to improve the program.

Given President-elect Trump’s emphasis on infrastructure, many Senators asked if Chao could provide more details on the Administration’s infrastructure proposal.  In response, Secretary Chao stated that the President-elect’s vision for an infrastructure proposal will be “ambitious, futuristic, and comprehensive,” and she will be starting with forming a task force and establishing a process to address infrastructure issues.  Chao said that we need to continue to be creative, innovative and consider other options for funding our aging infrastructure.

Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) has not yet announced a date for Secretary Chao’s nomination to be considered, but it is anticipated that the Committee would vote on her nomination soon after inauguration.  There has been no opposition to her nomination by members on the Committee.