Pete Buttigieg is expected to tout his “accomplishments” as Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary during his speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Wednesday night, but a transportation watchdog group wants America to know that Buttigieg has nothing to brag about.
The Center for Transportation Policy (CTP), a government watchdog and think tank that works “to keep America and the economy moving—whether on the road, through the air, via tracks, or on the water,” has launched a campaign to expose Buttigieg’s “shoddy track record and bad policies.”
“At the convention, Pete Buttigieg will surely tout his Secretary of Transportation tenure,” said CTP executive director Jackson Shedelbower. “But given the high-profile transportation disasters that unfolded during his time in office, his words should ring hollow to many Americans. Buttigieg is undoubtedly a savvy orator, but his actions, or lack thereof, speak louder than words.”
CTP put out a fact sheet listing a slew of major incidents and accidents that happened under Buttigieg’s watch.
Additionally, Buttigieg was heavily criticized in September of 2022, when he took a vacation in in Porto, Portugal—over 3,500 miles away from Washington, D.C.—during a serious national railroad labor dispute.
CTP also released a blistering video (below) highlighting a number of Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation failures and disasters, including the 2021 supply chain crisis (during which time he took off more than two months of paid paternity leave), unprecedented flight delays, the Baltimore Bridge collapse and the Feb. 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The Norfolk Southern freight train was carrying hazardous materials when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, 2023. A total of 38 cars derailed, resulting in several railcars burning for more than two days.
Emergency crews conducted controlled burns of several railcars, which released hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air and residents within a 1-mile radius had to be evacuated.
Buttigieg did not put out a statement on the environmental disaster until February 13—a full ten days after the accident. In a speech before the National Association of Counties Conference earlier that day, Buttigieg failed to mention the train derailment, but did address an alleged lack of racial diversity in the construction business.
If you wanted to demonstrate the weakness of affirmative action hiring practices, the top tier of Democrat office holders would be an excellent place to start. Classic examples of failing upwards.