The Senate confirmed a batch of nominees for top federal positions, including officials to fill several key posts at the Dept. of Transportation and a new head for the Interior Dept.'s Bureau of Reclamation.

Those confirmed on May 21, just before the start of the Memorial Day recess, include former Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari, who was approved to be deputy secretary of U.S. DOT. Porcari served two terms as head of Maryland DOT, both times under Democratic governors--from 1999 to 2003 and from 2007 until he is sworn in to his new federal job.