WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has selected former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, his former Democratic rival, to lead the transportation division, Mr Biden said Tuesday.
Mr. Buttigieg dropped out of the race in March, backing Mr. Biden along with other moderate Democrats. He heads the transportation department and is expected to play a prominent role in Biden’s upcoming government to rebuild the country’s roads and bridges.
Buttigieg, a 38-year-old openly gay military veteran who served in Afghanistan, emerged as a surprise next-generation candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination against Mr. Biden, taking a narrow victory in the Iowa caucuses. But that win was overshadowed by technical glitches and caucuse reporting delays, and it faded in the games that followed.
Mr. Biden issued a statement saying that he had chosen Mr. Buttigieg “because this position is at the crossroads of so many interlocking challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Jobs, infrastructure, equality and climate all come together at the DOT. “
Mr. Buttigieg served as Mayor of South Bend for two terms from 2012 to 2020, making urban development and economic revitalization cornerstones of his administration. He officially launched his presidential campaign in a former Studebaker factory in his hometown, which was turned into a technology park during his tenure.
Mr. Buttigieg has campaigned for Mr. Biden for the past few months and more recently he was considered for various positions in Biden’s administration. Mr. issue said.
Biden’s Cabinet Picks
Secretaries and administrators of ministries and other top roles
* Not yet announced.
Note:
Source: the Biden Transition team
Mr. Biden campaigned for a $ 2 trillion plan to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, much of which involved transportation. One of the campaign’s most daring proposals was a call for high-quality, zero-emission mass transportation for every US city with 100,000 or more residents. But it’s not clear how the Biden administration would convince Congress to fund such an effort, especially given the current resistance to mass transit system financial aid packages as they grapple with a ridership collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Buttigieg would take over a department whose most critical tasks are drafting transportation regulations and distributing large sums of money, usually to states to fund their respective highways, roads, and transit systems. The most crucial pool of funds available to the DOT – the $ 43 billion federal Highway Trust Fund – needs major reform. The fund is mainly supported by federal taxes on gasoline and diesel, but the gas tax has not increased since 1993, leading to widening deficits in the fund that Congress has closed with money from other sources.
If confirmed, Mr. Buttigieg would be the second openly gay cabinet secretary. President Trump appointed Richard Grenell as acting director of National Intelligence in his cabinet earlier this year.
The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said the nomination would be “a reminder to LGBTQ people everywhere that any opportunity is possible.”
Campaigning as a centrist willing to work down the aisle, Buttigieg helped the former vice president consolidate support and ultimately win the party’s nomination. Mr. Buttigieg continued as a member of Mr. Biden’s presidential transition.
During the campaign, Mr. Buttigieg proved to be a great fundraiser. But he struggled to build a diverse coalition of voters outside of the white, educated voters who were most attracted to him.
—Tim Puko and Emily Glazer contributed to this article.
Write to Eliza Collins at [email protected]. and Ken Thomas at [email protected]
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Appeared in the December 16, 2020 print edition as ‘Buttigieg Is Selected to Lead Transportation’.