Van Tine Appointed Acting Dep SecTrans... Despite
Objections
The president has appointed Kirk Van
Tine as the new acting Deputy Secretary of DOT... despite
vociferous opposition by FedEx (and others) earlier in the
year.
While he has been nominated to fill the
post on a permanent basis, the Senate has yet to pass judgement. In
the meantime, his nomination has been fought at a number of
political levels.
The reason? Van Tine was at the forefront of efforts by the
White House, trying to get $32 million in post-9/11 aid back from
the freight company.
As the DOT general counsel, Van Tine left the agency earlier
this year. But when Michael Jackson quit his job as deputy to
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Van Tine was back in the
spotlight, nominated to replace him.
"It's an unfortunate miscalculation on FedEx's part to
personalize a disagreement,'' said John Flaherty, DOT Secretary
Norm Mineta's chief of staff. "Van Tine (below, right) is a solid
guy, a consummate professional who is hand-in-glove with the
secretary. That's why we want him as his deputy."
FedEx says its opposition has nothing to do with the dispute
over the post-9/11 aid. The carrier says Van Tine simply isn't up
to the job because he lacked broader aviation experience.
The government gave FedEx $101
million shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks as part of the $5
billion cash program approved by Congress to compensate the
industry for lost business when all flights were banned for three
days after the attacks. But DOT later figured FedEx's losses were
more than 30 percent less than the company had claimed -- $69
million -- and tried to get the government's money back.
FedEx continues to fight this matter in the courts.
SecTrans Mineta Statement Concerning President’s
Designation of Van Tine as Acting Deputy Secretary
I am gratified with President Bush’s decision today to
designate Kirk Van Tine as Acting Deputy Secretary of the U.S.
Department of Transportation. This action permits Mr. Van Tine to
begin immediately fulfilling the responsibilities of the job. More
importantly, it provides the Administration and the American people
the opportunity to once again realize the full potential of
Kirk’s capabilities as he embarks upon this new leadership
role. I am confident that our customers will experience
first-hand the highest levels of accessibility and professionalism
when working with Mr. Van Tine, and look forward to working with
the United States Senate to achieve his full confirmation when
Senators return to Washington next year.