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Paging Pete: Buttigieg Blasted by GOP for Being MIA During Transportation Crisis.

Not the Best Time for the Secretary of Transportation to be Taking Time Off.


Photo for: Paging Pete: Buttigieg Blasted by GOP for Being MIA During Transportation Crisis.

Key Points

  • Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been MIA during the transportation crisis.
  • Buttigieg has been on family leave spending time with his children.
  • Prominent GOP members are calling for Pete to get back to work.

While America’s ports are packed with ships at a stand still, stoking inflation fears and driving up prices on all kinds of everyday items, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is missing. Well, not missing exactly, but away from his post when the country needs him most.

“They didn’t previously announce it, but Buttigieg’s office told West Wing Playbook that the secretary has actually been on paid leave since mid-August to spend time with his husband, Chasten, and their two newborn babies,” Politico reports.

Now, time with family is certainly important – but so is a nationwide transportation crisis that’s hitting many middle-class families right in the wallet (not to mention businesses large and small losing millions of dollars in revenue). Prominent GOP members have a message for Pete: get back to work.

“We’re in the middle of a transportation crisis, and Pete Buttigieg is sitting at home,” said Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). “Meanwhile, cargo boats are unable to dock and shelves are sitting empty. Pete needs to either get back to work or leave the Department of Transportation. It’s time to put American families first.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) criticized Buttigieg on Twitter for his lack of experience.

“Pete Buttigieg was completely unqualified to serve as Secretary of Transportation,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tweetedMonday. “Now, Pete is absent during a transportation crisis that is hurting working-class Americans.”

But others support former-Mayor Pete and applaud his commitment to family values. Dawn Huckelbridge, Director of Paid Leave for All, says “It absolutely reflects changing norms and changing needs. I’m thrilled that the secretary did that and showed that work and family go together.”

But Pete’s “work and family” aren’t exactly in harmony at the moment – work has gone largely ignored. Now, Buttigieg has stepped up his appearances with media outlets to try and save face.

“Since Oct. 7, Buttigieg has appeared on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ ‘MSNBC with Geoff Bennett,’ CNN’s ‘New Day,’ CNBC’s ‘Morning Bell,’ Bloomberg TV’s ‘Balance of Power,’ and the NPR Politics Podcast,” Politico reports. “He also attended a high-profile meeting with President Joe Biden Wednesday on supply chain bottlenecks.”

He’s certainly making up for lost time. When asked whether or not Biden approved Buttigieg’s leave, the White House dodged. “Pete’s been a key member of the team since Day One, and has been critical as we shepherd the President’s agenda across the finish line.”

That’s not a “yes.”