Pete Buttigieg is the country’s first millennial and openly gay Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretary after his nomination to lead the Department of Transportation cleared the upper chamber without the partisan rancor expected for some of President Biden’s other picks.
Buttigieg, 39, was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to oversee the country’s aviation and auto industries, as well as its highways, transit systems, and pipelines. The final tally was 86-13.
The final vote comes after the Senate Commerce Committee approved his nomination late last month, 21-3. There, his nomination was opposed by Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rick Scott of Florida.
Biden has touted Buttigieg, a former rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and a two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as the country’s second openly gay Cabinet member and a future Democratic Party leader. Former President Donald Trump named Richard Grenell acting director of national intelligence last year. Grenell didn’t require Senate consent to temporarily step into that role.
Buttigieg will help manage $39 billion in emergency transit funding approved by Congress since March, including $14 billion earlier this year, in what will likely be a higher profile capacity than secretaries past. Congress has similarly allocated billions of dollars for airlines to airports, even Amtrak’s train services, with Biden calling for an extra $20 billion in his $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan.”
But during Buttigieg’s roughly two-hour Senate hearing, he fielded more invitations to inspect infrastructure projects in committee members’ home states than hostile questions.
Buttigieg did slip up when he suggested a gasoline tax could be tied to inflation, though a vehicle miles traveled tax may be a longer-term alternative, to fund improvements.
A spokesman later told the Washington Examiner a “variety of options need to be on the table to ensure we can invest in our highways and create jobs, but increasing the gas tax is not among them.”
Buttigieg was also quizzed on his positions regarding how his prospective portfolio dovetails with liberal issues, such as climate change and racial equity, in addition to Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL oil pipeline and overhaul vehicle fuel economy and emissions standards.
But Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the panel’s top Republican, foreshadowed Buttigieg’s approval.
“I am quite certain he will be confirmed,” he said.
Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young introduced Buttigieg at the hearing. The hearing reunited Buttigieg, too, with fellow 2020 White House hopeful, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The two were bitter competitors during the primary over their overlapped voter bases.
“I think you know I’m excited about your nomination,” Klobuchar said during Buttigieg’s hearing.
