Senate confirmation hearings can get a little heated. But Pete Buttigieg, President Biden’s high-profile nominee for secretary of transportation, got a reception that was downright warm. Now he’s going to push his woke social justice agenda into all aspects of his new office.
Pete Buttigieg approved as Secretary of Transportation
“You know what the hell you’re talking about, and that’s pretty damn refreshing,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., when he got a chance at the mic at Buttigieg’s hearing on Thursday.
The senators on the Commerce Committee, including many Republicans, embraced Buttigieg’s background as the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and appreciated his willingness to dive deep into granular policy issues at the hearing.
“I look forward to your confirmation,” said Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., after she engaged with Buttigieg in a discussion about restrictions on truckers’ working hours and how they affect egg and livestock shipments.
Meanwhile, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said he was “quite certain” that Buttigieg would be confirmed and cordially invited the nominee to come to Mississippi and see the Amtrak route along the Gulf Coast. (Buttigieg accepted, while also saying yes to invitations to visit Cape Cod and Alaska.)
As transportation secretary, Buttigieg would bring some star power to a post that can be low profile. “Mayor Pete” shot to national attention as one of Biden’s many rivals for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race. The Norwegian-speaking Rhodes scholar and Harvard University graduate served as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve and was deployed to Afghanistan.
He didn’t clinch a spot on the presidential ticket, but he did earn name recognition — and, now, a Cabinet nomination. Buttigieg will be the first openly gay Cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate.
.@tedcruz on the Keystone Pipeline to Pete Buttigieg: "With the stroke of a pen, President Biden has told those 11,000 workers, those union workers, 'Your jobs are gone.' Mr. Buttigieg, what do you say to those workers whose jobs have just been eliminated by presidential edict?" pic.twitter.com/QmQnjmuFBm
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 21, 2021
Biden fills his cabinet with gays and minorities
In his confirmation hearing, Buttigieg vowed to enforce safety standards, push for major infrastructure investments and take action on climate change.
Climate would have to be a “central feature” of any infrastructure package under the Biden administration, the former mayor said, arguing that there’s a “unique window of opportunity” for investing in infrastructure while also combating global warming.
Buttigieg also said that U.S. transportation policy has been too “auto-centric” and that policy needs to ensure that motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians can coexist on roads.