Szabo currently works for the United Transportation Union as Illinois state legislative director, working on rail safety and other regulatory issues. Since January, he is an interim alternate national legislative director for UTU. Szabo also serves on FRA's Rail Safety Advisory Committee, which helps craft federal rail safety regulations.

Szabo is not expected to face any major Republican opposition at the Senate Commerce Committee, according to a Senate aide. The committee has not yet scheduled a hearing but must approve the nomination before the full Senate can take it up.

Organized labor groups were quick to praise the nomination of one of their own to lead FRA. Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department, praised the nominee and stressed the importance of his job over the coming months. “With the Obama administration's support for Amtrak and commitment to developing high speed and commuter rail in this country, the FRA administrator will play an important role in ushering in a new era in passenger rail transportation,” Wytkind said in a statement.

FRA will oversee $8 billion in high-speed rail funding provided by the economic stimulus (Pub. L. No. 111-5), but Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has said the White House and Obama personally will be leading the overall strategy (2529 Transportation Watch, 3/10/09).

The announcement marks the first of the Department of Transportation's modal administrators to be nominated. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has said the administration has made an offer to its choice to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration also await permanent administrators.