Elaine Chao was confirmed as Transportation secretary under President Donald Trump Tuesday.
The Senate voted 93-6 for the D.C. old-timer who previously led the Labor Department under President George W. Bush.
Chao, who was then the first Asian American woman appointed to a presidential Cabinet, joins this one as the second confirmed Asian American woman, after U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Chao’s was a nomination welcomed, for the most part, by both Democrats and Republicans. She has experience as a former deputy secretary of the Transportation Department, and as head of the Peace Corps and the United Way of America.
“I think we need Secretary Chao as someone who has the experience and who has common sense and that will be in the position to offer level-headed, good experience-based advice to the government going forward,” said Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida.
The Transportation Department — which oversees the country’s aviation, vehicle, train and pipeline safety — operates on a $75 billion annual budget.
Chao was born in Taiwan and brought to the U.S. by her parents at age 8. She has an MBA from Harvard Business School and, according to her official biography, 36 honorary doctorates.
Chao’s husband is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
