Papers related to Downey’s roles as a transportation expert in Washington DC during several Democratic presidential administrations and campaigns. The bulk of the materials consists of memos, correspondence and position papers. The papers from Downey’s tenure as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation during the Clinton administration (1993-2001) are more varied and include memos, correspondence and internal policy documents, including papers on the national rail strikes in 1996. There are memos from Downey’s work as a transportation analyst for the US House of Representatives during the Ford and Carter administrations, as well as his time as assistant secretary of the budget and programs for the Department of Transportation during the Carter administration. Downey’s work on the Kerry (1994) and Obama (1998) presidential campaigns is also represented.