Trump Transition Team Taps Transportation Secretary | Blogs | Dashboard Insights

President-Elect Donald Trump has announced his pick to head the Department of Transportation: Elaine L. Chao. Ms. Chao is clearly a veteran of Washington: as the Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush, and a deputy transportation secretary under George H.W. Bush, she will bring Cabinet-level experience if confirmed to the position. That experience may come in handy, as the Department of Transportation is confronting new regulatory challenges from developing technologies (such as autonomous and networked vehicles), and as president-elect Trump has made it clear that he intends infrastructure development to be a goal of his administration. And even some Democrats, such as David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, and Senator Chuck Schumer, have acknowledged her government service and indicated their respect for Ms. Chao.

In the automotive industry, the reactions to her pick have been favorable:

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers released a statement calling Ms. Chao a “superb choice to lead the Department of Transportation,” citing the “rapid rate of innovation” in the automotive industry and the challenges that poses to the “traditional regulatory approach.”
Likewise, the American Trucking Association praised Ms. Chao, saying that the new administration “could not have picked a more qualified, experienced and dedicated individual to serve in this important role.”
Other businesses in the transportation industry, such as ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber (who are tying themselves closer to the manufacturing side of the industry), appear optimistic that Ms. Chao’s view on regulations will be more inclined to promote innovation, rather than stifle it, based on her more hands-off posture toward regulation as Labor Secretary, and her statements since then. (On the other hand, and perhaps unsurprisingly, activist groups such as the Sierra Club see this hands-off approach as a red flag.)

While there may be other aspects of the Trump administration that the auto industry is apprehensive about—for example, president-elect Trump’s views on treaties such as NAFTA and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, which clash with the industry’s general embrace of international trade—it appears that his pick for Transportation will not be one of them.

This blog is made available by Foley & Lardner LLP (“Foley” or “the Firm”) for informational purposes only. It is not meant to convey the Firm’s legal position on behalf of any client, nor is it intended to convey specific legal advice. Any opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Foley & Lardner LLP, its partners, or its clients. Accordingly, do not act upon this information without seeking counsel from a licensed attorney. This blog is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Communicating with Foley through this website by email, blog post, or otherwise, does not create an attorney-client relationship for any legal matter. Therefore, any communication or material you transmit to Foley through this blog, whether by email, blog post or any other manner, will not be treated as confidential or proprietary. The information on this blog is published “AS IS” and is not guaranteed to be complete, accurate, and or up-to-date. Foley makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation or content of the site. Foley expressly disclaims all other guarantees, warranties, conditions and representations of any kind, either express or implied, whether arising under any statute, law, commercial use or otherwise, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. In no event shall Foley or any of its partners, officers, employees, agents or affiliates be liable, directly or indirectly, under any theory of law (contract, tort, negligence or otherwise), to you or anyone else, for any claims, losses or damages, direct, indirect special, incidental, punitive or consequential, resulting from or occasioned by the creation, use of or reliance on this site (including information and other content) or any third party websites or the information, resources or material accessed through any such websites. In some jurisdictions, the contents of this blog may be considered Attorney Advertising. If applicable, please note that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Photographs are for dramatization purposes only and may include models. Likenesses do not necessarily imply current client, partnership or employee status.