Transportation secretary to depart next month

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta will resign effective July 7, the White House announced Friday.

Mineta, the only Democrat in President Bush's Cabinet, has served in his post since the beginning of the Bush administration.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said Mineta resigned "because he wanted to." He added that Mineta had "put in five and half years -- that's enough time."

Mineta was secretary of Commerce under President Clinton. From 1975 to 1995, he served in the House of Representatives, representing California's Silicon Valley, and was chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee from 1992 to 1994. In 1991, he was a key backer of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

Mineta and his family were among the Japanese Americans who were forced into internment camps during World War II. Later, after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, he joined the Army in 1953 and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea.

House Transportation and Infrastructure ranking member James Oberstar, D-Minn., a close friend of Mineta's, said his resignation "comes as a surprise to me. I had thought for sure that he was going to serve the full term of the Bush presidency. His departure will be a great loss for all modes of transportation."

A low-key administrator, Mineta's tenure might be best known for his department's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "From the earliest moments of that horrible day and for weeks and months after, the personnel of the department performed quickly, courageously and effectively," Mineta said in a Tuesday resignation letter to Bush. On that day, Mineta grounded civilian airplane traffic for the first time in U.S. history.

Following are some key stories featuring Mineta that have appeared on GovExec.com:

• Mineta defends department's performance during Katrina, Sept. 6, 2005 (CongressDaily).
• Transportation chief reflects on effort to meet security challenge, Feb. 21, 2003 (National Journal).
• Managing the departments: Grades for Bush's Cabinet secretaries, Jan. 27, 2003 (National Journal).
• Transportation secretary occupies an unlikely place: center stage, Jan. 14, 2002 (National Journal).
• Aviation security agency gets off the ground, Dec. 21, 2001.
• Trnasportation secretary seeks military security on airplanes, Sept. 13, 2001 (CongressDaily).
• Transportation chief holds his own as lone Democrat in Bush cabinet, April 30, 2001 (National Journal).
• Mineta brings spirit of bipartisanship to Transportation, Feb. 15, 2001 (National Journal).
• Mineta tapped for Commerce Department post, June 30, 2000 (CongressDaily).