Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle for his handling of the nation’s holiday travel debacle that left tens of thousands stranded at airports across the country. Though the weather was the underlying factor, there has been fierce criticism for his handling of this and other transportation-related issues.
“What’s happening with the railroads, airlines & the supply chain is a result of a small city mayor being made the Secretary of Transportation as a means to pad his resume for President,” Nina Turner, a senior fellow at the left-wing Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, tweeted last week.
Turner, who has been critical of Buttigeig’s job to date, suggested he was a “prime example of failing up.”
Progressives have also called for greater scrutiny of the Transportation Department’s practices. That included Rep. Ro Khann (D-Calif.), who also tweeted, “Nearly six months ago @BernieSanders & I called for Buttigieg to implement fines & penalties on airlines for cancelling flights. Why were these recommendations not followed? This mess with Southwest could have been avoided. We need bold action.”
Mayor Pete Looking to be President Pete
Turner is not alone in suggesting that Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has his sights on the Oval Office and is using his current position as the next stepping stone.
While his campaign fizzled out quickly in 2020, he was the first millennial to run for president. More importantly, he went from running a city of 100,000 people to a department that has a budget larger than the gross domestic product of most countries.
Pete Buttigieg was valedictorian of his high school class and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard before being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. In 2009, he joined the U.S. Navy Reserve through the direct commission officer program and was sworn in as an ensign in naval intelligence. Elected mayor of South Bend in 2011, he took a seven-month leave in 2014 to deploy to Afghanistan.
Yet, despite his education, military service, and small-town government experience, he lacked a presence on the national stage. Serving as secretary of transportation meant he headed one of the largest departments in the U.S. government.
Instead of propelling him to the Oval Office, it may be his downfall.
Southwest Airlines was forced to cancel the majority of its flights over the holiday weekend. It ruined Christmas for hundreds of thousands of Americans. Though the company has pledged to reimburse those able to find alternative transportation, it has been also noted that the airline received a $7 billion taxpayer bailout during the pandemic and is now able to pay millions in dividends to shareholders.
Buttigieg responded to last week’s airline debacle, tweeting, “Southwest Airlines needs to do everything it takes to get stranded passengers to their destinations – and cover their expenses (like meals, hotel, ground transport) in the meantime. We’ll continue to hold them accountable with all tools available to USDOT.”
At this point, that may be too little and far too late.
More Travel Woes to Ring in the New Year
It wasn’t helped by the fact that flights across Florida were grounded on Monday due to widespread issues with an air traffic control system. As the Federal Aviation Administration scrambled to resolve the issue, traffic was slowed to a trickle, and it eventually caused delays for passengers across the United States following the New Year’s holiday.
One frustrated pilot even reportedly blamed the delays on Buttigieg.
It was previously reported that the secretary of transportation – like many lawmakers – doesn’t always fly commercial. Buttigieg has taken at least 18 flights using taxpayer-funded private jets since taking office. None of this may sit well with primary voters in 2024 and beyond.
Yet, it is the “Ghost of Christmas 2022” that will haunt Buttigieg for years to come. The small-town mayor has not proven he can run one federal department, so voters will question whether he could actually do better in the Oval Office.
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Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
