WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement on the announced business meeting on Monday, June 10^th, for the consideration of the nominations of Anthony Foxx for Secretary of Transportation and Penny Pritzker for Secretary of Commerce:

“I appreciate Mayor Foxx’s willingness to serve as our next Transportation Secretary and look forward to supporting his nomination at next week’s committee markup. While I have had a number of concerns regarding the lack of sequester planning by the Department of Transportation, I look forward to moving ahead and working directly with Mayor Foxx if he is confirmed as our next Secretary of Transportation. Mayor Foxx has assured me that he will improve communication with the Commerce Committee and other members of Congress and I look forward to working with him to address the transportation challenges facing our country.

“While the president has had strong words for others who have benefitted from offshore tax havens, we should not let his double-standard on this issue stand in the way of a qualified nominee. I expect Ms. Pritzker will use her private sector background to be a strong voice for lowering regulatory burdens, lowering taxes for businesses large and small, and promoting job creation in the private sector if she is confirmed as our next Secretary of Commerce. I also welcome her commitment to work on making more federal spectrum available for wireless mobile services, which is a critical part of driving our innovation economy. I appreciate Ms. Pritzker’s willingness to serve as Commerce Secretary and plan to support her nomination at next week’s markup.” 

###