Free Republic

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg couldn’t give a time frame Sunday for when debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse will be cleared from the critical mega US shipping channel. “We haven’t received a timeline yet,” the country’s top transportation chief told CBS’ “Face the Nation” of the massive expected clean-up of the wreckage from the destroyed Baltimore span, which runs roughly 1.6 miles over the Patapsco River, a key transportation route that handled a whopping $80 billion in cargo last year. “This is going to be a very complex process, there are even now forces acting on that steel,”...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg vowed the federal government would rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday, calling it a 'cathedral' of American infrastructure. 'This is no ordinary bridge, this is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure,' he said. 'It has been part of the skyline of this region longer than many of us has been alive.' He cautioned that the 'path to normalcy' for the Baltimore community after the tragedy 'will not be easy, will not be quick, and will not be inexpensive Buttigieg spoke at a press conference in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon, several...

On last Monday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that he doubts “that Americans in 2050 are still going to be driving that old technology, that combustion technology that we inherited from the 20th century.” Buttigieg said, “[T]he share of EVs has been dramatically increasing every single year, and that’s continuing. Now, our goal is, by the end of this decade, to be about half-and-half. We think that that can and will happen. But what isn’t guaranteed is, first of all, is that EV revolution going to continue to be made in...

While ignoring a cornucopia of crises in his two-plus years as Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg has found a supposed crisis that he will address, and it sounds a lot like his previously trotted-out theory that bridges are a tool of racism. Speaking with Al Sharpton on MSNBC, Buttigieg declared "we've got a crisis when it comes to roadway fatalities in America" before making his usual pivot to frame the problem as one of race. "We lose about 40,000 people every year," Buttigieg told Sharpton, adding roadway fatalities are "a level that's comparable to gun violence" for emphasis. "And we...

Mayor Pete Buttguy, sometimes Secretary of Transportation, announced the return of Trans World Airlines (TWA). Mayor Pete arranged the public/private partnership between the Transportation Department and Richard Branson (noted for his failed Virgin Orbit and successful Virgin Group). Mayor Pete brought the idea of a separate airlines just for LGBTQP+++ air travel customer segment to Richard. Richard bought into the idea immediately, with special emphasis on the "trans" crowd. Specialization would include: in-flight child grooming, in-flight drag queen shows, in-flight fashion shows, trans flight crews, and trans tailored meals and drinks. The real sales pitch will be that the Trans...

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigeg lashed out at critics on Sunday, calling Fox News’ Tucker Carlson — born and raised in California — a member of the “East Coast elite” who did not understand the working class. Buttigieg has come under fire lately for his mishandling of a toxic trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. He has also been slammed for being on unannounced parental leave during the cargo crisis of 2021, and for being on vacation in Portugal last year as a rail strike loomed — while pretending that he was still in the country.

The Washington Post reviewed “every possible regulatory change” that was made under the Trump administration and found that none of them contributed to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.“We decided to examine every possible regulatory change made under Trump that could be related to the accident and assess whether it could have made an impact,” read a review published Monday by Glenn Kessler at the Washington Post.“From our analysis, none of the regulatory changes made during the Trump administration at this point can be cited as contributing to the accident,” Kessler added.The review of “every possible regulatory change” made...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday apologized after losing his “train of thought” while speaking to the press in East Palestine, Ohio. His act of contrition came nearly three weeks after the toxic train derailment devastated the local community there. Speaking of the dangers of what he described as “misinformation injected into this situation, none of which is to the benefit of the community,” Buttigieg appeared to lose his place. “So I think — sorry I lost my train of thought,” Buttigieg said, prompting some to note the irony of his word choice.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged Tuesday that he "could have spoken sooner" about the disastrous Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that has caused serious health and environmental concerns because of the hazardous chemicals it was transporting. The 38 cars that derailed roughly two weeks ago [cut] "I have followed the normal practice of transportation secretaries in the early days after a crash, allowing NTSB to lead the safety work and staying out of their way," he said. "But I am very eager to have conversations with people in East Palestine about how this is impacted them." [cut]...

The Trump administration has finalized a roll back of Obama-era regulations for oil trains. The rules, which date back to 2015, required railroads carrying crude oil or other flammable liquids to outfit their trains with more responsive electronic braking systems. The rules came in response to concerns about explosions and spills from mile-long trains of crude and ethanol. In the Northwest, those trains move along the Columbia River and through cities to coastal refineries. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which has been working on rescinding the rules since last December, said in statement this week that its analysis showed the...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday sidestepped a question on whether he wants President Biden to run for a second White House term in 2024, lauding the president’s accomplishments but saying he “can’t talk campaigns.” “Do you want him to run? Do you want him to run again?” host Jonathan Karl asked Buttigieg on ABC’s “This Week,” highlighting recent polling data that suggests Democrats may not want another four years with Biden.

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) stated that Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg hasn’t had enough involvement in trying to avert a potential rail strike, which, along with rising diesel costs, “will be a one-two shot to an already struggling economy.” Waltz said that in addition to the cost of gas spiking if there’s a rail strike, “the cost of diesel is through the roof as well. You know, the average trucker used to spend 300, $400 to fill up his rig. Now, he’s spending over $1,000, and this will be...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was pressed on comments from Vice President Kamala Harris that critics said suggested Hurricane Ian relief aid be delegated based on factors other than purely loss claims. Harris had said that "it is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions… We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity." On "Your World" Tuesday, Buttigieg was asked about those remarks as his own department seeks to help...

Paying near record-high prices for gas may be hitting your wallet hard, but according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, that will just make an electric vehicle all the more worth it. During a House hearing on Tuesday, Buttigieg said, “The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicles.” Watch the video below: VIDEO AT LINK....................... According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of gas is $4.49, down from $4.98 a month ago. However, it is up from $3.17 a year ago....

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday will launch a $1 billion pilot plan to address what he sees as cities and neighborhoods racially segregated or divided by roads. Buttigieg has previously declared “there is racism physically built” into U.S. infrastructure, promising to address it soon after taking office. As Breitbart News reported, he argued that some highways and bridges across several cities were designed to divide communities by race. “Well if you’re in Washington, I’m told that the history of that highway is one that was built at the expense of communities of color in the D.C. area,” he said....

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Monday he had tested positive for the coronavirus and will quarantine while working remotely from home. “I have tested positive for COVID-19 and am experiencing mild symptoms,” Buttigieg wrote on social media in a statement.

Soaring gas prices across the country are out of the White House's hands, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday as he rebuked oil company executives for not upping production. Driving the news: Gas prices have continued surging, and look headed for $5 a gallon nationwide, writes Axios' Matt Phillips. The big picture: "I don't think it's correct to say it hasn't made any difference at all," Buttigieg said about Biden's decision earlier this year to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that “most of us understand the difference between a hotel ballroom” where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be held without a mask mandate and airplanes and that the main purpose behind the Biden administration’s appeal of the transportation mask mandate ruling is “making sure there’s clarity on the public health authority that the CDC has.”

The secretary of transportation says a "monthly mobility dividend" could be in the nation's longer-term future. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg suggested that transitioning to a "monthly transportation payment" from monthly car payments could be in America's future. Buttigieg also said a "monthly mobility dividend" could lie further out in the future. "What I mean by that is if we're looking way out into the future, where we have things like, let's imagine distributed energy generation where you have resources at your house, whether it's a dramatically more efficient, even solar panels and wind resources," Buttigieg said Wednesday at an...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has faced a flurry of criticism from Republicans for taking paid parental leave with his husband and two newborns. But Buttigieg wants to refocus the conversation on another topic entirely: climate change. “Inevitably, every transportation decision is a climate decision, whether we acknowledge it or not,” Buttigieg said in an interview with The Climate 202. “So I think that's absolutely part of our mandate and part of our set of responsibilities as a department.” **SNIP** Cars and trucks account for the bulk of the sector's pollution, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. And in...