By a rare unanimous vote, Anthony Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been tapped by President Obama and approved by the Senate.

42-year-old Foxx is a rising star in the Democratic party, and in a surprising unanimous vote, cleared the Senate and is now the Secretary of Transportation. At 42-years of age, this confirmation makes him the youngest member of President Obama’s cabinet.

Now, with confirmation behind him, he will find hat the bigger task is ahead. The nation’s highways, transportation systems, tunnels and air traffic control systems are badly in need of repair and upgrading, and will take his full attention to at the very least turn around.

With the Highway Trust Fund in danger of going broke, and the federal gasoline tax not enough to fill the gap, and with $50 billion earmarked by congress over the last five years, Foxx has his job cut out for him.

Also the youngest mayor to be elected to the seat of mayor of Charlotte, he is also the first Democrat to take control of that seat since it was held by Harvey Gantt in 1987.

The vote to confirm Foxx to the position of Transportation Secretary was 100-0.