“Mayor Pete” becomes Transportation Secretary Buttigieg

From Fleet Owner.

Pete Buttigieg was confirmed as secretary of transportation on Feb. 2, taking over the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees billions of dollars in highway construction funds and the trucking industry.

The U.S. Senate voted, 86-13, to confirm the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., making Buttigieg the first openly gay confirmed cabinet secretary in U.S. history. The DOT, which includes the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has more than 58,000 employees and an annual budget approaching $90 billion. At 39, Buttigieg also becomes the youngest DOT leader in history.

“Safety is the foundation of the department’s mission, and it takes on new meaning amid this pandemic,”  Buttigieg said during his Jan. 21 confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation. “We must ensure all of our transportation systems — from aviation to public transit, to our railways, roads, ports, waterways, and pipelines — are managed safely during this critical period, as we work to defeat the virus.”

“We also have a lot of work to do to improve the infrastructure in this country, a mission that will not only keep more people safe but also grow our economy as we look to the future,” Buttigieg said during the hearing, which took place the day after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president. 

See the complete article from Fleet Owner online.