Alexandria, Va. -- NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings today issued the following statement on the confirmation of Elaine Chao as the 18th U.S. Secretary of Transportation: "NATSO congratulates Elaine Chao on her confirmation as Secretary of Transportation and looks forward to working with her on a broad spectrum of issues, including the need to find permanent, sustainable solutions to funding the Highway Trust Fund. As Secretary Chao evaluates the many options for ensuring that highway and infrastructure programs are fully funded, we encourage her to seek solutions that solve our infrastructure investment challenges without harming the interstate-exit based businesses that help to support the nation’s economy and their local communities or putting public safety at risk. Specifically, we hope that the Department of Transportation will eschew such revenue schemes as tolling and commercializing rest areas, both of which harm interstate exit-based businesses, the local communities that they support and consumers. NATSO and the entire truckstop and travel plaza community are eager to work with Madam Secretary Chao to address the nation’s infrastructure needs in the interest of building a safer, more efficient national infrastructure network that will serve today’s modern economy."