Ride hail giants Uber and Lyft reacted positively to President-elect Trump’s nomination of Elaine Chao as U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Elaine Chao

"We have the utmost respect for Elaine Chao, an accomplished public servant and highly capable leader," said Lyft spokesman Adrian Durbin. "We congratulate her on the nomination and look forward to working with her on an array of transportation issues."

Niki Christoff, head of federal affairs for Uber, said "Chao's knowledge of transportation issues is extensive and we look forward to working closely with her."

Uber adviser Bradley Tusk called Chao a friendly appointment for the technology industry. "In many ways, she may be the cabinet member with the most interesting and important tech policy issues out there," he said
Chao previously served as deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation and secretary of the Department of Labor.

“Secretary Chao’s extensive record of strong leadership and her expertise are invaluable assets in our mission to rebuild our infrastructure in a fiscally responsible manner,” said Trump. “She has an amazing life story and has helped countless Americans in her public service career. I am pleased to nominate Elaine as Secretary of the Department of Transportation.”

“The President-elect has outlined a clear vision to transform our country’s infrastructure, accelerate economic growth and productivity, and create good paying jobs across the country,” said Chao. “I am honored to be nominated by the President-elect to serve my beloved country as Transportation Secretary.”

Chao is a Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute. She is the 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor who served from 2001–2009. She is the first American woman of Asian descent to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet in our nation’s history.

An immigrant who arrived in America at the age of eight speaking not a word of English, Chao became a U.S. citizen at 19. Her experience transitioning to a new country has motivated her to devote most of her professional life to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to build better lives.

Secretary Chao has a distinguished career in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. As the first Secretary of Labor in the 21st century, she focused on increasing the competitiveness of America’s workforce in a global economy and achieved record results in workplace safety and health.

Prior to the Department of Labor, Chao was president and CEO of United Way of America where she restored public trust and confidence in one of our nation’s premier institutions of private charitable giving after it had been tarnished by financial mismanagement and abuse. As director of the Peace Corps, she established the first programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Her government service also includes serving as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission. She has also worked in the private sector as vice president of Syndications at Bank of America Capital Markets Group and Citicorp.

Secretary Chao earned her MBA from the Harvard Business School and an economics degree from Mount Holyoke College. Recognized for her extensive record of accomplishments and public service, she is the recipient of 35 honorary doctorate degrees.

“Elaine Chao is an outstanding choice as Secretary of Transportation. She has been an effective leader in government, the private sector, and in the non-profit sector. I believe she will be able to pull these different stakeholders together for the good of the country,” said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide.

Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the New York City Police Department (SBA), a labor union representing more than 13,000 active and retired police sergeants, praised Trump’s selection of Chao.

“The men and women I represent will always be grateful for the skill and tenacity Elaine Chao displayed in pushing through expanded overtime protections for millions of Americans — including police officers — and defending them from employers, like the City of New York, that tried to take them away from working men and women,” said Mullins.