The Nation - News from Dec. 4, 1987

James H. Burnley IV was sworn in as secretary of transportation, and President Reagan urged him to continue the Administration’s program of seeking to remove public barriers to the private sector. “Much has been done to continue deregulation of these industries, particularly in the airline, railroad and trucking industries,” Reagan said, “but there is even more to be done in the next 14 months to return control to the private sector.” Burnley was sworn in by Judge Kenneth Starr in the Roosevelt Room down the hall from the Oval Office. Earlier, Burnley said the Transportation Department will hire more than 1,000 additional air traffic controllers if Congress approves the department’s request for a $1-billion increase for aviation.