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.

FMI: www.dot.gov