He led the Transportation Department throughout Obama's first term and helped steer a campaign to curb distracted driving, promote high-speed rail and repair roads and bridges. Under his watch, the department demanded tougher fuel efficiency requirements for automakers and took steps to address airline pilot fatigue.
Obama thanked LaHood in a statement, saying they were 'drawn together by a shared belief that those of us in public service owe an allegiance not to party or faction, but to the people we were elected to represent. And Ray has never wavered in that belief.'
LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press that he told Obama a week after the November election that he needed to move on but said he was still 'conflicted' by his decision because he liked working for Obama and considered it the 'best job I've ever had in public service.'
