U.S. Secretary Of Transportation Norman Mineta Resigns

After more than five years serving as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta this week said he is stepping down from his post on July 7. A successor has yet to be named.

In his letter of resignation to President George W. Bush, dated June 20, Mineta said, "While there remains more to be done—a job such as this is never truly completed—I can assure you that the Department of Transportation is well positioned, with highly competent and dedicated people you brought in as well as the civil service work force, to fulfill the mission that you and the Congress advance in the years ahead."

In the letter, Mineta did not give a specific reason for his resignation. However, according to reports, White House press secretary Tony Snow today at a press briefing said, "He was not being pushed out."

Business Travel News has named Mineta among its Top 25 Most Influential Executives in the business travel industry six times, most recently for efforts in 2005 to liberalize air travel between the United States and the European Union. Mineta also was named for signing an aviation pact with China.

While heading DOT, he also was instrumental in deregulating the global distribution systems in 2004, which has led to a reshaping of relationships among airlines, travel management companies and travel distributors. Mineta also helped shape the Transportation Security Administration and aviation security in general in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.

Even prior to stepping into his cabinet position as Transportation Secretary, Mineta was influential in the travel industry as a Democratic congressman, serving California's Silicon Valley from 1975 to 1995. He chaired the House aviation subcommittee and in 1984 wrote a bill transferring the Civil Aviation Board's passenger protection responsibility to the Department of Transportation. The following year, Mineta was again named to the Top 25 for pressuring the Federal Aviation Administration on aircraft cabin safety.