Carper Statement on Nomination of Elaine Chao as Transportation Secretary

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del), who will serve as ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the 115th Congress, released the following statement today on President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Elaine Chao, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, to serve as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

“I congratulate Elaine Chao on her nomination to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition to leading the department and implementing current transportation policy that directly impacts the daily lives of millions of Americans, the next DOT Secretary will play a critical role in working with Congress to develop an infrastructure bill. My hope is that we will be able to find the common ground necessary to make the critical investments in our country’s roads, highways, bridges and transit systems that we so badly need.

“However, there are several key principles that I will look for in an infrastructure bill: prioritizing work to repair and maintain existing assets; providing funding for the major transit, bridge, tunnel and water projects that will transform our economy; and, most important, identifying a long-term and sustainable source of funding. Another top priority for DOT has been and must continue to be ensuring the safety of roads, railways and transit systems, as well as the safety of trucks, cars, pipelines and aviation.

“I look forward to the forthcoming confirmation process, which will give my colleagues and me the opportunity to look closely at Ms. Chao’s record on safety during her tenure as the Secretary of Labor and examine her vision for improving our nation’s transportation infrastructure.”