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United States Department of Transportation

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Department of Transportation
Seal of the Department of Transportation
Established October 15, 1966
Activated April 1, 1967
Secretary Mary Peters
Deputy Secretary Maria Cino
Budget $58 billion (2004 estimate)
Employees 58,622 (2004 estimate)

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Transportation.

Its mission is to "Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future."

In some areas, like aviation and railroads, the federal government has taken over completely using its Commerce Clause powers and preempted virtually all regulation at the state and local levels. But construction and maintenance of highway and transit networks has traditionally been the responsibility of state governments in the United States. The federal government has increasingly become more active in transportation policy by levying federal taxes and making grants to state governments for specific projects, but technically, the actual day-to-day responsibility for the resulting projects remains with the states. Thus, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration do not directly build and operate roads; they exist only to dispense grants to state governments and to ensure that those grants are used in a way that furthers national transportation policy. Of course, the gradually increasing reliance of states upon federal grants has given the federal government a significant amount of indirect control over state transportation policy through its Spending Clause powers.

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[edit] Former Divisions

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[edit] See also

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United States Federal Executive Departments
United States Department of Agriculture Seal Agriculture • United States Department of Commerce Seal Commerce • Image:United States Department of Defense Seal.svg Defense • United States Department of Education Seal Education • United States Department of Energy Seal Energy • United States Department of Health and Human Services Seal Health and Human Services • Image:US Department of Homeland Security Seal.svg Homeland Security • United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Seal Housing and Urban Development • United States Department of the Interior Seal Interior • Image:Doj.png Justice • United States Department of Labor Seal Labor • United States Department of State Seal State • United States Department of Transportation Seal Transportation • United States Department of the Treasury Seal Treasury • United States Department of Veterans Affairs Seal Veterans Affairs

Past departments: Commerce and Labor • Health, Education, and Welfare • Navy • Post Office • War

de:Verkehrsministerium (Vereinigte Staaten)

et:Ameerika Ühendriikide Transpordiministeerium fi:Yhdysvaltain liikenneministeriö

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