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January 3, 2023|Jeff Davis

Updated January 3, 2023 – FINAL as of end of 117th Congress

STATUS OF BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORTATION NOMINATIONS – 117th CONGRESS (2021-2022)
Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg Secretary (S-1) Nomination confirmed 2/2/21
Department of Transportation Polly Trottenberg Deputy Secretary (S-2) Nomination confirmed 4/13/21
Department of Transportation Carlos Monje Under Secretary for Policy (S-3) Nomination confirmed 6/24/21
Department of Transportation John Putnam General Counsel (C) Nomination confirmed 5/12/22
Department of Transportation Victoria Wassmer Chief Financial Officer (B) Nomination confirmed 5/12/22
Department of Transportation Annie Petsonk Asst. Sec. for Aviation and International Affairs (X) Nomination confirmed 5/18/22
Department of Transportation Mohsin Syed Asst. Sec. for Government Affairs (G) Nomination confirmed 4/7/22
Department of Transportation [no nominee since position created by law 11/15/21] Asst. Sec. for Multimodal Freight No nominee
Department of Transportation Robert Hampshire Asst. Sec. for Research and Technology (R) Returned to the President 1/3/23
Department of Transportation Christopher Coes Asst. Sec. for Transportation Policy (P) Nomination confirmed 5/26/22
DOT – Federal Aviation Administration Philip Washington Administrator for a term of five years Returned to the President 1/3/23
DOT – Federal Highway Administration Shailen Bhatt Administrator Nomination confirmed 12/8/22
DOT – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin. Robin Hutcheson Administrator Nomination confirmed 9/22/22
DOT – Federal Railroad Administration Amit Bose Administrator Nomination confirmed 1/12/22
DOT – Federal Transit Administration Nuria Fernandez Administrator Nomination confirmed 6/11/21
DOT – Maritime Administration RADM Ann Phillips Administrator Nomination confirmed 5/10/22
DOT – National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. Steven Cliff Administrator Nomination confirmed 5/26/22
DOT – Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [no nominee since Biden took office  1/20/21] No nominee
Amtrak Board of Directors David Capozzi Member for a 5-year term Returned to the President 1/3/23
Amtrak Board of Directors Anthony Coscia Member for a 5-year term (reappointment) Returned to the President 1/3/23
Amtrak Board of Directors Christopher Koos Member for a 5-year term Returned to the President 1/3/23
Amtrak Board of Directors Samuel Lathem Member for a 5-year term Returned to the President 1/3/23
Amtrak Board of Directors Robin Weissmann Member for a 5-year term Returned to the President 1/3/23
Federal Maritime Commission Max Vekich Member, for a term expiring 6/30/26 Nomination confirmed 2/10/22
International Civil Aviation Organization Chesley Sullenberger Ambassador Nomination confirmed 12/2/21
Metro. Washington Airports Authority Sean Burton Member for a term expiring 5/30/24 Nomination confirmed 9/29/22
Metro. Washington Airports Authority Samuel Slater Member for a term expiring 11/22/23 Re-noReturned to the President 1/3/23
National Mediation Board Gerald Fauth Member (reappointment) Returned to the President 1/3/22
National Mediation Board Deirdre Hamilton Member for the remainder of a term expiring 7/1/22 Nomination confirmed 12/7/21
National Mediation Board Deirdre Hamilton Member for a term expiring 7/1/25 Returned to the President 1/3/23
National Mediation Board Linda Puchala Member (reappointment) Returned to the President 1/3/23
Nat’l Transportation Safety Board Jennifer Homendy Chairman Nomination confirmed 8/9/21
Surface Transportation Board Karen Hedlund Member, for the remainder of a term expiring 12/31/25 Nomination confirmed 12/16/21
Surface Transportation Board Robert Primus Member (re-nomination) Nomination confirmed 12/20/22
Transportation Security Administration (DHS) David Pekoske Administrator (reappointment) Nomination confirmed 9/15/22

Stages of the process:

  1. The White House announces the President’s intention to nominate.
  2. Transmission of the official nomination paperwork from the White House to the Senate.
  3. Hearing in front of a Senate committee. (Optional – some lower-profile nominees get approved without a hearing.)
  4. Vote in committee to approve or reject the nomination.
  5. The chairman of the committee reports the approved nomination to the Senate and it is placed on the Executive Calendar, almost always the same day of the committee vote.  (Per S. Res. 116, some low-profile nominees can now go straight to the Calendar without being approved in committee or formally reported, unless a Senator specifically objects – see here for details.)
  6. The Senate votes to confirm or reject the nomination. (Alternately, the nomination could sit on the Calendar indefinitely, until withdrawn or until automatically returned to the President at the end of the session.)

Material Details

Publication Date:January 3, 2023

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