Daschle's appointment was not formally announced, but Democratic officials said the job was his barring an unforeseen problem as Obama's team reviews his background. One area of review will include the lobbying connections of his wife, Linda Hall Daschle, who has worked mostly on behalf of airline-related companies over the years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Linda Hall Daschle was acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration in the Clinton administration and is one of Washington's top lobbyists. Her clients over the past year included American Airlines, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Senate lobbying records show. Daschle's lobbying firm said Wednesday that she would be leaving the group at the end of the year.

Tom Daschle, who will be 61 next month, was a close adviser to Obama throughout the former Illinois senator's White House campaign. He recently wrote a book on his proposals to improve health care: "Critical: What We Can Do About The Health-Care Crisis." He also has been working with former Senate leaders on recommendations to expand health coverage.

Contributing: Lee Davidson, Deseret News