Tipsheet

Buttigieg Blasted After Yet Another Travel Crisis

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is under fire yet again after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare and alarming full ground stop for all U.S. flights Wednesday morning. 

According to President Joe Biden, Buttigieg doesn't know what caused a computer outage that led to the ground stop. 

"I just spoke with [Transportation Secretary] Buttigieg. They don't know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him," Biden said Wednesday morning from the South Lawn of the White House. "I told them to report directly to me when they find out. Aircraft can still land safely, just not take off right now. They don't know what the cause of it is, they expect in a couple of hours they'll have a good sense of what caused it and will respond at that time."

Since taking office in early 2021, Buttigieg has been mired in controversy and his lack of transportation experience has been repeatedly highlighted with a number of crises. During the supply chain crisis of 2021, when thousands of fully loaded shipping containers were sitting offshore, Buttigieg took off for months of paternity leave without appointing a deputy. During negotiations that nearly resulted in a devastating and economically disruptive nation wide rail strike, Buttigieg was on vacation in Portugal. 

In an interview with Fox News last week, Buttigieg defended his record and refuted claims he's been missing in action. 

In recent weeks, Buttigieg has been under fire for his use of private jets (especially given his lecturing about climate change) and abuse of taxpayer funded travel.