Hearing set this week for DOT nominee; EPA nomination moves

Hearing set this week for DOT nominee; EPA nomination moves

The Senate Commerce Committee has set May 23 for the confirmation hearing for Anthony Foxx, President Obamas nominee for Secretary of Transportation. Foxx, a Democrat, is currently mayor of Charlotte, N.C., where he made major improvements to the light rail system. At least part of the hearing is expected to focus on the question of whether to permit use of electronic devices during airplane take-off and landing.

Obamas nomination for EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, was blocked for several days by Republicans on the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. They submitted more than 1,000 questions for her to answer at the nomination hearing. But last Thursday, the committee approved her nomination on a party-line vote and sent it to the full Senate where a filibuster is possible.