Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
DOT

US DOT Secretary Elaine Chao Resigns

3:58 PM EST on January 7, 2021

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao resigned following Wednesday's violent riot at the nation's capitol by predominantly White supporters of President Trump, reminding many advocates of her department's consistent complicity in perpetuating police brutality and White supremacy in America.

In a statement on Twitter, Chao cited Trump's decision to encourage a group of his supporters to storm the Capitol building, calling the siege "traumatic and entirely avoidable."

"It has deeply troubled me in a way I simply cannot set aside," she said.

Progressive politicians and pundits slammed the decision as disingenuous and self-serving, speculating that Chao was absolving herself of her responsibility to invoke the 25th Amendment, an obscure provision of the Constitution that sets into motion the removal of a president if the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet declare a president unfit to serve.

Even prior to her resignation, Chao's tenure at US DOT was largely condemned by sustainable transportation advocates, not least for her failures to condemn racist policing which provides pretext for many of the harassment and murder of BIPOC by law enforcement. Under Chao's leadership, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a document at the height of this summer's historic Black Lives Matter protests that endorsed the expansion of armed law enforcement in our national traffic safety efforts.

Chao also famously stood by Trump's side at a press conference following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., when he noted that there were "some very fine people" among the Neo-Nazis and White nationalists present at the rally, one of whom murdered counter-protester Heather Heyer in a deliberate vehicle ramming attack. No "deeply troubled" statement from the Secretary followed.

https://twitter.com/AkiPeritz/status/1347265451374620672

Despite a typo in her initial tweet — believe us, we wish we could go back in time to January, 2020, too — representatives for the Department of Transportation have since confirmed that Chao's last day in office will be on Friday. They have not responded to a request for further comment on her departure.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Don’t Feel the Need for Speed

Tell me again, which constitutional amendment is it that gives people the right to drive as fast as they want?

December 1, 2023

Talking Headways Podcast: The Sexy World of Bus Speeds

When you start to add up the numbers, you can see why agency leaders would be interesting in finding ways to reduce those costs.

November 30, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines See Daylight

Daylighting, or removing parking near intersections, is an often overlooked way to improve pedestrian safety.

November 30, 2023

Why So Many U.S. Drivers Think Speeding Is Perfectly Safe

Do Americans hit lethal speeds because they're in a rush, or because they have no idea that they're increasing their chances of death with every tick of the odometer?

November 30, 2023

Highway Boondoggles 2023: Habitat Devastation in the Hoosier State

Plans for a new 54-mile highway in southern Indiana threaten thousands of acres of forests, farmland and wildlife habitat. So why is Indiana forging ahead anyway?

November 30, 2023
See all posts