Elaine Chao, President-elect Trump’s pick to head the Transportation Department, received a warm reception during a Senate hearing Wednesday on her nomination. No lawmaker expressed objections to her nomination and several offered praise for her.
“To my colleagues, I would say that, if you were to imagine an ideal candidate to tackle these challenges (to the nation’s transportation infrastructure), it would be hard to come up with a more qualified nominee than the one before us,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, in his opening statement.
Some Democrats brought up some awkward issues for Chao, but none expressed any objections to her responses even when she declined to give a full answer. When the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, asked about where the administration stood on privatization of air traffic control, a controversial issue within the airline industry, Chao said the administration had not formed a stance on the issue but would consult with Congress and the industry on it. Nelson did not probe further.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., asked where the administration stood on “buy American” legislation and noted that Chao had such criticized such proposals when she was a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Chao responded that president-elect has been “very clear” that he supports such legislation “and of course all Cabinet members will follow his policy.”
“That is welcome news,” Baldwin responded.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked whether the administration would continue to support Davis-Bacon rules, which require federal contractors to pay the local “prevailing wages” for any project. The rules generally force the wages upward and are strongly supported by labor groups. Peters noted that when Chao was labor secretary during the George W. Bush administration, it briefly suspended Davis-Bacon during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Chao replied that suspending the rules was necessary in that case but that Katrina was an “exceptional” circumstance and would certainly not be the norm for the incoming administration. “Davis-Bacon is the law and will continue to be the law unless Congress changes it,” she said.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., took it as a given that Chao, who is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, would be confirmed. “I looking forward to working with you,” the senator said. That sentiment was echoed throughout the hearing.
