Bush Names Democrat Mineta to DOT

President-elect Bush on Tuesday named current Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta to become his transportation secretary.

	U.S. Dept. of Commerce
	Norman Y. Mineta

Bush also announced he had tapped defeated U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., as energy secretary, and was naming former Reagan administration official Linda Chavez to be labor secretary.

A former California Congressman who chaired the House Transportation Committee before Republicans took control of Congress, Mineta was named by President Clinton to head the Commerce Department last summer.

Mineta is a Japanese-American who, as a child, was detained in an internment camp during World War II. He was the first Asian-American named to a Cabinet position and is the only Asian-American on Bush's Cabinet as well.

Mineta is also the first Democrat to join the to ranks of the incoming Republican administration. At Tuesday's press conference, Mineta said he favored modernizing roads and bridges as part of a program to boost the transporation infrastructure.

Until early Tuesday, those mentioned for the top DOT post included Abraham, former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Carl Vogt and former DOT Deputy Secretary Elaine Chao.

Mineta, if confirmed by the Senate, will encounter several on-going trucking issues. These include reconsideration of the ergonomics and diesel rules issued by the Clinton administration, redesigning truck driver hours-of-service regulations and lifting the estate tax.

American Trucking Associations President and Chief Executive Officer Walter B. McCormick Jr. said he supports the nomination of Mineta.

"Norm Mineta is a seasoned transportation veteran who understands and appreciates the important role that trucking plays in the economy," said McCormick. "ATA looks forward to a strong partnership with the new secretary, working on safety and regulatory issues important to the trucking industry."

The Washington Post reported that Bush transition officials contacted Mineta late last week to ask if he might be interested in the job, and that Mineta was in Austin, Texas, Tuesday morning to meet with Bush.

The Post also noted that Mineta had turned down the DOT job in 1992 when Clinton offered it. Mineta headed the House transportation panel when Andrew Card was Transportation Secretary under former President Bush, and the two worked well together, the Post said. Card will be Bush's White House chief of staff.