Trump Names Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation

Elaine Chao.

Elaine Chao, who served as Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, is President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation.

She has been married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell since 1993. It won’t be the first time a Cabinet member has had such an interesting relationship: Elizabeth Dole, who served as Secretary of Labor from 1983 to 1987, is married to Sen. Bob Dole, who served as majority leader from 1985 to 1987.

Chao’s tenure at the Labor Department, from 2001 through 2009, was the longest since World War II. She also served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation from 1989 to 1991.

After holding executive positions at Bank of America and Citibank early in her career, Chao was granted a White House Fellowship in the Reagan administration. She served as deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration and chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission. She also was director of the Peace Corps in the early 1990s.

As Transportation Secretary, Chao will be expected to play a key role in the new administration’s plans to improve the nation’s infrastructure.