http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2017/04/24/trump-transportation/100830872/
Washington — Car-safety advocates are worried that President Donald Trump might turn over the keys to the agency charged with regulating the safety of the nation’s automobiles to someone from within the industry’s ranks.
Rosemary Shahan, president of the Sacramento, Calif.-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety group, said she would not be surprised if Trump reaches out to an auto executive to fill the position of National Highway Traffic Safety administrator, vacant since Trump took office in January.
“He has a penchant of appointing people who have been regulated and allowing them to dismantle agencies,” Shahan continued. “You have all these companies who have been under investigations for safety violations recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if he appointed somebody from one of them. It would be consistent with his other appointments.”
No names for candidates appear to be circulating among industry and government insiders in Washington. Several have said it does not appear that filling the position is a high priority for the president, who has yet to make numerous appointments in the government.
But Shahan speculates on one potential candidate: General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra.
“He seems to be very friendly with her,” Shahan said of Trump’s relationship with GM’s chief, noting he has named Barra to a Strategic and Policy Forum that advises him on economic issues and jobs growth, and met with her in Washington on at least two occasions.
The White House declined to comment on the president’s plans for filling the vacancy. GM would not comment on whether Barra would be interested in the regulatory job.
Barra, who became the first woman to lead an automaker in January 2014, is in a strong position at her company, which is posting record profits. She has assembled a cohesive team of executives who all stand to earn substantial bonuses if they remain with the company.
Washington — Car-safety advocates are worried that President Donald Trump might turn over the keys to the agency charged with regulating the safety of the nation’s automobiles to someone from within the industry’s ranks.
Rosemary Shahan, president of the Sacramento, Calif.-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety group, said she would not be surprised if Trump reaches out to an auto executive to fill the position of National Highway Traffic Safety administrator, vacant since Trump took office in January.
“He has a penchant of appointing people who have been regulated and allowing them to dismantle agencies,” Shahan continued. “You have all these companies who have been under investigations for safety violations recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if he appointed somebody from one of them. It would be consistent with his other appointments.”
No names for candidates appear to be circulating among industry and government insiders in Washington. Several have said it does not appear that filling the position is a high priority for the president, who has yet to make numerous appointments in the government.
But Shahan speculates on one potential candidate: General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra.
“He seems to be very friendly with her,” Shahan said of Trump’s relationship with GM’s chief, noting he has named Barra to a Strategic and Policy Forum that advises him on economic issues and jobs growth, and met with her in Washington on at least two occasions.
The White House declined to comment on the president’s plans for filling the vacancy. GM would not comment on whether Barra would be interested in the regulatory job.
Barra, who became the first woman to lead an automaker in January 2014, is in a strong position at her company, which is posting record profits. She has assembled a cohesive team of executives who all stand to earn substantial bonuses if they remain with the company.