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The Trump White House on April 20 announced the president’s intent to formally nominate Joel Szabat to be undersecretary of transportation for policy. He serves in that post in an acting capacity.

Szabat also serves on the White House’s coronavirus task force. The Senate has not scheduled consideration of his nomination.

Earlier this year, Szabat indicated that the administration has prioritized policy focusing on rural corridors.

“This administration has placed considerable emphasis on underserved communities like those in rural America,” Szabat told a Senate panel in a joint statement with Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian. “We have met and exceeded our obligation regarding rural transportation in the 2015 FAST Act [highway law], and we continue pressing forward with new ways to improve rural mobility.”

In January 2019, the Senate confirmed him in a voice vote to the position of assistant secretary-aviation and international affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation. From 2011 to 2018 he was executive director of the Maritime Administration. Prior to that, he briefly served as chief of staff at the Small Business Administration. He earned degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard University, according to background published by the White House.

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Source: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/joel-szabat-nominated-senior-usdot-role