Ray LaHood became the 16th U.S. Secretary of Transportation on Friday, January 23rd. LaHood was joined for an official swearing-in ceremony in his new office by his wife Kathy, son Sam and fellow Illinoisan and Assistant Majority Leader, U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin. The oath of office was administered by Linda Washington, Assistant Secretary for Administration.
President Obama has made transportation a top priority for his Administration, and the Department will play an important role in putting people back to work and getting our economy back on its feet. We have much work to do to implement President Obama’s agenda for economic recovery and we will do so with an emphasis on transparency and accountability.
"This moment of peril must be turned to one of progress", President Barack Obama said this morning, as he signed his first two Presidential Memoranda aimed at getting us on the path to energy independence.