Transportation Secretary Chao First Cabinet Member to Resign Over Capitol Siege
WASHINGTON – Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on Thursday became the first Cabinet member to resign in the wake of yesterday’s siege at the U.S. Capitol.
In a letter posted to Twitter, Chao, who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said, “Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed.
“As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside,” she said.
Chao is the latest in a growing number of administration officials who found Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters too egregious to remain even for the last 13 days of his administration.
Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger stepped down Thursday, as did Tyler Goodspeed, acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, and Mick Mulvaney, the former acting chief of staff who most recently has been the administration’s special envoy to Northern Ireland.
In an interview with CNBC on Thursday morning, Mulvaney said he had called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the night before to tell him.
“I can’t stay here, not after yesterday,” Mulvaney said. “You can’t look at that yesterday and think ‘I want to be part of that’ in any way, shape or form.”
Similarly, Goodspeed told reporters Thursday morning that “the events of yesterday made my position no longer tenable.”
In her letter to the president, Chao said that she would leave her post on Jan. 11 and that her office would cooperate with President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s nominee for transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
In The News
Health
Voting
Transportation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Buttigieg was a few weeks into his job as transportation secretary, buried in meetings and preparing for the launch of President Joe Biden's $2.3 trillion public works plan, when evening arrived along with a time to try something new in Washington. Instead... Read More
WASHINGTON -- Virginia’s plan for a $3.7 billion passenger rail expansion was revolutionary on Tuesday when the governor announced it but later in the week looked like the tip of the iceberg. The next day, President Joe Biden presented his plan for $2.2 trillion in infrastructure improvements,... Read More
WASHINGTON - Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., is looking to get ahead of what could be a prolonged debate over infrastructure priorities and has proposed streamlining and expediting the permitting process to get projects moving faster. Davis is the prime sponsor behind the One Federal Decision Act,... Read More
WASHINGTON - Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., has joined with Democratic colleagues Reps. Peter DeFazio, of Oregon, and Bennie Thompson, of Mississippi, in a renewed push to bolster funding for the Transportation Security Administration and better ensure the safety of America's air travelers. Since 2013, the lawmakers... Read More
WASHINGTON -- The railroad industry moved closer Wednesday to becoming a big winner in President Joe Biden’s environmentally friendly policies. A House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee weighed options during a hearing on which passenger and freight railroad projects should get federal funding. Comments from lawmakers implied... Read More
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A koala has been rescued after causing a five-car pileup while trying to cross a six-lane freeway in southern Australia.Police said the crash in heavy Monday morning traffic in the city of Adelaide caused some injuries but no one required an ambulance.The... Read More
