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January 21, 2021|Jeff Davis

Updated March 15, 2024

STATUS OF BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORTATION NOMINATIONS – 118th CONGRESS (2023-2024)
Department of Transportation Sarah Baker General Counsel Nomination transmitted 2/8/24
Department of Transportation [no nominee since position created by law 11/15/21] Asst. Sec. for Multimodal Freight
DOT – Federal Aviation Administration Michael Whitaker Administrator for a term of five years Nomination confirmed 10/24/23
DOT – Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [no nominee since Biden took office  1/20/21] Administrator
Amtrak Board of Directors David Capozzi Member for a 5-year term Nomination transmitted 1/3/23
Amtrak Board of Directors Anthony Coscia Member for a 5-year term (reappointment) Nomination confirmed 1/23/24
Amtrak Board of Directors Christopher Koos Member for a 5-year term Nomination confirmed 1/23/24
Amtrak Board of Directors Samuel Lathem Member for a 5-year term Nomination re-transmitted 1/25/24
Amtrak Board of Directors Joel Szabat Member for a 5-year term Nomination confirmed 1/23/24
Amtrak Board of Directors Robin Weissmann Member for a 5-year term Returned to the President 1/3/24
Federal Maritime Commission Rebecca Dye Member, for a term expiring 6/30/25 Nomination transmitted 1/3/23
Federal Maritime Commission Daniel Maffei Member, for a term expiring 6/30/27 Nomination transmitted 1/3/23
International Civil Aviation Organization Charlie Crist Representative of the U.S., with the rank of Ambassador Nomination reported 1/24/24 (Cal. No. 483)
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Samuel Slater Member, for an unfinished term expiring 11/22/23 and a full term expiring 11/22/29 Nomination transmitted 1/23/23
National Mediation Board Deirdre Hamilton Member for an unfinished term expiring 7/1/25 Nomination confirmed 3/8/24
National Mediation Board Linda Puchala Member, for an unfinished term expiring 7/1/24 and a full term expiring 7/1/27 Nomination confirmed 3/8/24
National Mediation Board Loren Sweatt Member, for an unfinished term expiring 7/1/23 and a full term expiring 7/1/26 Nomination confirmed 3/8/24
National Transportation Safety Board Jennifer Homendy Member for a term expiring 12/31/29 and chairman for a term of three years Nomination transmitted 3/14/24
National Transportation Safety Board Alvin Brown Member for a term expiring 12/31/26 Nomination confirmed 3/8/24
National Transportation Safety Board Todd Inman Member for a term expiring 12/31/27 Nomination confirmed 3/8/24
Surface Transportation Board Patrick Fuchs Member for a term expiring 1/14/29 Nomination transmitted 1/25/24

For the summary table of all Biden’s transportation nominees in the previous Congress (2021-2022), see here.

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 21, 2021

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