Two of President Donald Trump's legislative priorities — infrastructure investment and modernization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — might be a step closer to implementation after the creation of new top level positions in the Department of Transportation.
The positions mark a realignment in the agency and were announced following a high-level internal meeting, sources told The Hill on Tuesday.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao plans to name James Ray as senior adviser on infrastructure within the Department of Transportation (DOT). Ray is a principal at KPMG and previously worked at the Office of Management and Budget. He also served as acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration and general DOT counsel.
The infrastructure initiative will put together a $1 trillion plan to upgrade the nation's roads, bridges and other public facilities.
Chao plans to appoint current DOT chief of staff Michael Britt as senior adviser for FAA modernization. He will serve as liaison with the White House to upgrade the nation's airports and review separating the air traffic control operations from the federal government in hopes the move would hasten modernization efforts.
Two other positions will be created with former lobbyist Geoff Burr named acting chief of staff. Burr worked with Chao when she served as Secretary of Labor under former President George W. Bush. Attorney Matt Kopko will serve as counselor to the department secretary, lending broad experience on infrastructure and knowledge of creating public-private partnerships, according to the article.
The enhanced spending measures follow an announcement last month the Transportation Department budget would shrink 13 percent under Trump's proposed budget, The Washington Post reported. The government would save money by shifting responsibility for certain departments outside the federal government, with costs shouldered by private agencies and local governments.
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