Anthony Foxx nominated as next secretary of transportation

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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President Barack Obama announces Mayor Anthony Foxx, of Charlotte, N.C., as his nominee for transportation secretary, in the East Room of the White House, April 29, 2013. Outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at right.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Obama nominated Anthony Foxx as the next Secretary of Transportation, replacing Ray LaHood. Foxx is currently the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., who took office in 2009.

“When Anthony became mayor in 2009, Charlotte, like the rest of the country, was going through a bruising economic crisis,” said the president. “But the city has managed to turn things around. The economy is growing. There are more jobs, more opportunity. And if you ask Anthony how that happened, he’ll tell you that one of the reasons is that Charlotte made one of the largest investments in transportation in the city’s history.

“Since Anthony took office, they’ve broken ground on a new streetcar project that’s going to bring modern electric tram service to the downtown area. They’ve expanded the international airport and they’re extending the city’s light-rail system. All of that has not only helped create new jobs, it’s helped Charlotte become more attractive to business.”

President Obama said that from the day Ray LaHood was sworn in, he fought tirelessly to rebuild America’s infrastructure, creating good jobs that strengthen the economy and allow the United States to better compete in the global economy.

“Over the past four years, thanks to Ray’s leadership, we’ve built or improved more than 350,000 miles of road, enough to circle the world more than 14 times,” the president said. “We’ve upgraded more than 6,000 miles of rail, enough to go coast to coast and back. We’ve repaired or replaced more than 20,000 bridges and helped put tens of thousands of construction workers back on the job. And that’s all due in no small part to Ray LaHood’s leadership.”

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