Senate to Vote on Foxx as DOT Secretary

The Senate is expected to vote on whether to confirm Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Anthony Foxx as Secretary of the Transportation Department during the next few weeks, but has not yet scheduled the vote, a congressional aide said Tuesday.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Monday night unanimously voted to recommend the Senate confirm him and the panel’s chairman, Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., pushed for swift action.

National League of Cities (NLC) President and Mayor of Avondale, Ariz. Marie Lopez Rogers applauded the committee’s action on Tuesday.

“The National League of Cities has offered its full support throughout Mayor Foxx’s confirmation process, and we are elated the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously confirmed his appointment as Transportation Secretary yesterday,” she said.

“We look forward to a full Senate vote on his confirmation and urge the Senate to schedule a vote soon so Mayor Foxx can begin the critical work of advancing our nation’s transportation priorities,” she added.

Foxx made local transportation a key issue in North Carolina since elected as mayor of Charlotte in 2009. His experience with transportation issues are expected to  pave the way for a relatively smooth confirmation.

Rogers said Foxx’s local transportation efforts will be beneficial on a national level.

“Transportation planning and decision-making are some of the most critical issues facing communities across the country and it is important to have someone in the President’s cabinet who recognizes and appreciates the local role in transportation. Mayor Foxx has proven throughout this confirmation process, and his tenure as mayor, that he understands our country’s increasing need for strategic transportation policy, which includes a focus on smart growth and alternative transit methods,” she said.

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