One would think that the next US DOT Secretary would be a critical appointment in the Obama Administration, given the talk of hundreds of billions of dollars being diverted into infrastructure as part of a possible economic stimulus package. Yet, we’ve not heard much about potential nominees, and the Washington Post reports that with the selection of people to fill the top slots at education and interior, all the major appointments have effecitvely been finalized.
President-elect Barack Obama will nominate Chicago schools executive Arne Duncan as his education secretary at an event in the city today, transition aides said, and is expected to tap Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) later this week to serve as secretary of the interior, all but finalizing his selections for major Cabinet posts.
To me, this suggests infrastructure spending for the Obama Administration is much more about a New New Deal than meaningful investments in the transportation network.