Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as Commerce secretary Tuesday, handing President Barack Obama an easy victory after his first two nominees withdrew.
Locke, 59, was the first Chinese-American governor, serving two terms from 1997 to 2005. He has promised to focus on job creation and to closely oversee next year’s census.
About half the Commerce Department budget is spent on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which regulates the nation’s fisheries, oversees the nation’s oceans policies and includes the National Weather Service, among other agencies.
