Among my most lasting early COVID memories are the reassuring sight of trucks hauling groceries and goods. It was spring 2020, when the nation was reeling from the emerging pandemic and the loss of 22 million jobs. Several months later, spirits rose as trucks were loaded with deliveries of new vaccines and precious hope. Millions of Americans were...
BY ELAINE CHAO For the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, the last two years have been defined in large part by a devastating rise in discrimination and hate crimes. Tragedies including the Atlanta spa and Indianapolis warehouse attacks filled national headlines with harrowing frequency, while incidents such as refusal of service, verbal harassment, and physical threats filled many hearts with concern and...
Transportation infrastructure is integral to our nation’s productivity, global competitiveness and quality of life for the American peopleFrom gas prices to grocery bills, global supply chain disruption and domestic labor shortages continue to ripple across America. The historic deficit of nearly 80,000 truck drivers in the U.S. – a 30% increase since the pandemic began – inadequate transportation infrastructure and other...
It’s not the pandemic anymore — it’s the economy. And the U.S. economy is teetering precariously as a range of structural challenges confront an administration that still seems to be feeling its way through managing a durable recovery. As the secretary of labor who oversaw releasing the most-watched economic indicator on Wall Street and in...
Transportation infrastructure is critical to our economy, to job growth and to every American’s quality of lifeRecent progress in the legislative effort to enable much-needed improvement of America’s infrastructure is a refreshing contrast to the often unproductive polarizing rancor of 2021. Success on an infrastructure package would boost bipartisanship as well as make a significant, tangible positive difference for generations to come — for all Americans!...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/05/14/stop-anti-asian-hate-appreciate-american-diversity-elaine-chao/5042405001/ On a beautiful spring morning, my day began with a cup of coffee, an enchanting serenade from a songbird outside my kitchen window, and a hateful e-mail entitled: “Go back to China, China woman.” We are Americans. I was born in Taiwan and came to America when I was 8 years old. I received...
As immigrants to the U.S., we are proud to be among the first Korean-American women to serve in Congress. We have sought, and encouraged others to seek, mentors who broke barriers for women and minorities. Secretary Elaine Chao is one of the women we have looked up to and counted on for guidance and advice...
KEY POINTS We are coming closer to realizing the dream of the hyperloop as a mode of public transportation, says Lucas Asher, an investor in Virgin Hyperloop. It allows small groups of passengers to travel in pods in tubes at high-speed, using magnetic fields. State and federal governments are recognizing the value in this technology...
During these challenging times, it is more important than ever to unleash the full power of the U.S. economy to create jobs and get our country moving again. One of the most underappreciated factors in economic stagnation is the heavy burden imposed on job creators by unnecessary, outdated, and duplicative regulations. The red tape imposed...
Airline passengers have no greater advocate than the U.S. Department of Transportation, which, since the outset of the unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency, has worked overtime to keep America’s national airspace functioning and safe (“Secretary Chao has authority to require airline refunds, COVID safety. She should use it,” Wednesday, USATODAY.com). This is for the benefit...
