Senator Rubio Urges President Biden to Request Sec. Buttigieg’s Resignation
Marco Rubio Urged President Biden to request the resignation of Department of Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg. Rubio’s letter comes after a litany of supply chain problems across the nation, as well as air traffic control failures with Federal Aviation Administration, and Buttigieg opting not to comment for days after a disastrous train derailment that released vinyl chloride and other chemicals into the air.
The full text of the letter is below.
“Dear Mr. President:
I write to urge you to request the immediate resignation of U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Buttigieg, who has repeatedly demonstrated a gross level of incompetence and apathy that is detrimental to the safety and prosperity of the American people.
For two years, Secretary Buttigieg downplayed and ignored crisis after crisis, while prioritizing topics of little relevance to our nation’s transportation system. It is painfully clear to the American people that Secretary Buttigieg has little regard for the duties of the Secretary of Transportation.
At no time has that been more apparent than the past two weeks. Secretary Buttigieg refused to acknowledge the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, until his intentional ignorance was no longer tenable. Even after acknowledging the tragedy, he continues to deflect any accountability for the safety of our nation’s rail system. The circumstances leading up to the derailment point to a clear lack of oversight and demand engagement by our nation’s top transportation official.
Unfortunately, this is part of a two-year long pattern. During historic maritime and surface transportation disruptions in 2021, Secretary Buttigieg was completely absent. Amidst an impending possible rail strike last year, Secretary Buttigieg left the country to vacation in Portuguese wine country. Near misses in commercial aviation, as well as recent system failures, including the one that shutdown air travel in Florida in January, indicate that serious and persistent problems across the DOT are not being sufficiently remedied. I do not have confidence that Secretary Buttigieg is capable of keeping the American people safe.
Secretary Buttigieg is also alleged to have abused taxpayer dollars by chartering private jets that are costlier than allowed in federal employee travel regulations, including for international travel. Similar instances in previous administrations have led to resignations. Secretary Buttigieg is also alleged to have used government aircraft for travel that may be political in nature. The American people deserve to know that their tax dollars are not being abused for personal or political purposes by government officials, and that public officials are being held to the same standards regardless of their political affiliation.
For two years, the transparency and accountability that you promised to obsessively uphold during your inauguration has been nowhere to be found. The incompetence and failure within your administration cannot continue to be ignored when Americans’ health and safety are at risk. I hope you will change course in order to uphold your so-far-unmet promise to the American people by requesting the immediate resignation of Secretary Buttigieg.”
Last December called for an investigation into Buttigieg’s private jet travel after reports surfaced that Buttigieg used taxpayer-funded private jets to travel domestically and internationally at least 18 different times since taking office.
Rubio sent a letter to DOT Inspector General Eric Soskin requesting that he conduct a review to determine whether Buttigieg’s travels were in compliance with all applicable regulations, policies, and procedures. Buttigieg, who ran for President in the 2020 Democratic Primary, is viewed by some political pundits as a possible candidate in 2024 if Biden opts against seeking re-election.
