McCain Speaks On Behalf Of Mary Peters As Nominee For U.S. Secretary Of Transportation

"Thank you. It is with great pleasure that I introduce to the Committee Mary Peters, who has been nominated to serve as the 15th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Of course, most of you are already familiar with Mary through her nearly four sears of service as the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), from 2001 - 2005.

"Mary Peters is a fourth generation Arizonan and was the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, known as A-DOT, prior to taking the helm at FHWA. She gained nearly 16 years of first-hand transportation agency experience during her service at ADOT and another 4 years at FHWA. This hands-on experience will serve her well in fulfilling the duties of the Secretary, and I commend the President for selecting such an outstanding and capable individual to fill this important leadership position.

"Mary has a long and accomplished professional record and has often received well-deserved recognition for her efforts, whether in Washington, D.C. or in Arizona. For example, she has received numerous awards throughout her career from the Women's Transportation Seminar, including the 2004 National Woman of the Year Award. She has also received awards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ASHTO), the National Council on Public Private Partnerships and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. And not surprising, Mary also been recognized as one of the Top 100 Who's Who of Arizona Women in Business, and as the Most Influential Person in Arizona in Transportation.

"On a personal side, Mary is one of the kindest persons you'd ever want to know. She is a great humanitarian and is genuinely interested in the lives of all of her employees. I am told Mary not only knew the name of every Arizona DOT employee by their names, but she also knew the names of their spouses and children. She understands the importance of family and friends and she shows it every day in her care and concern for those around her.

"And finally, I cannot resist mentioning something from Mary's past that I hope she will rely on as she works to meet the challenges she will face as the DOT Secretary.

"Before Mary became involved in transportation, she was in the butchering business. She made her living by cutting pork. As I said during her last confirmation hearing, this background should come in very handy and I urge her to rely heavily on her past pork-cutting expertise as she works to carry out her new responsibilities. Mary will undoubtedly face unlimited requests to support and fund members pork projects but to the extent of her authority, those projects would more appropriately deserve the same treatment that she mastered as a butcher. Thank you."