WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will name Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as his next Secretary of the Department of Transportation, sources familiar with the administration’s planning told The Huffington Post. The decision is expected to come this week.
Foxx, whose profile rose when his city hosted the Democratic National Convention last summer, announced in early April that he would be leaving office at the end of this year. His name had already been floated as a possible pick for transportation secretary, owing to the work he had done on Charlotte's transit system, including streetcar and light-rail projects.
Current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood planned to leave the post shortly into Obama's second term. But his departure was held up by continuous budget battles, most recently the furloughing of air traffic controllers due to sequestration. Though a deal was struck Friday to reverse those furloughs, the next transportation secretary will still face a host of challenges stemming from budget cuts at the federal and state levels.
LaHood is expected to continue serving until Foxx's confirmation. Requests for comment from both the Obama administration and the mayor's office were not returned.
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