The nation's transportation secretary usually holds one of the most public-facing roles in any presidential administration. A core aspect of the Cabinet job is to travel the country, doling out millions of public dollars and attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new bridges and overpasses and ports.
Even by those standards, Pete Buttigieg has spent an inordinate amount of time in the national spotlight delivering the largesse of the big infrastructure and domestic spending bills. But at the same time, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and onetime mayor of South Bend, Indiana, also has been the public face of a string of transportation-related crises, all amid steady speculation about his future political prospects.
He called it “another challenging day for U.S. aviation” and said his department was “now pivoting to understanding the cause of the issue.”Earlier that day, during an interview with CNN, Buttigieg offered a positive spin, saying that “part of what you saw this morning was an act of caution.” In his two years on the job, Buttigieg has repeatedly criticized U.S. airlines for chronic cancellations and shoddy customer service - making Wednesday's debacle particularly awkward. It also highlighted the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for nearly a year.
“We've had pipeline problems, we've had maritime problems. How much does the secretary actually control? None,” Mann said. “Same with his predecessors as well.” Cruz is expected to assume the role of the top Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over aviation.
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