Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg should be earning his keep or move on.
At least that’s the thinking behind a bill introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that passed in the House of Representatives, calling for Buttigieg’s salary to be cut to just $1.
The 2024 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act included the amendment which passed by a voice vote on Tuesday, reducing the salary of “Pothole Pete” but not completely firing him as Greene noted in a tweet.
🚨 BREAKING: I’m proud to announce my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg just PASSED the House.
Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards for the way certain people have sex.
American taxpayers should not… pic.twitter.com/9fq9XrXLV2
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 7, 2023
“These fraudulent actions of Secretary Buttigieg illustrate that he is not to be trusted in leading our Department of Transportation,” Greene said on the House floor. “While Secretary Buttigieg was taking taxpayer-funded carbon-emitting private jets to receive LGBTQ awards, he failed to serve the Americans in East Palestine who were devastated by the train derailment and chemical earlier this year.”
Several crises faced by the Department of Transportation during his tenure have earned Buttigieg criticism for his response – or lack thereof – such as shipping gridlock and massive commercial airline cancelations.
“And while Buttigieg has spent much of his tenure addressing commercial delays, he has used government-managed private jets on at least 18 occasions since taking office. Those flights sparked an ongoing inspector general probe and, according to information obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT), have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars,” Fox News reported.
“Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trip to accept LGBTQ awards for him,” Greene also posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’m happy my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny.”
Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trip to accept LGBTQ awards for him.
I’m happy my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny. https://t.co/KJndQ5taTH
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 7, 2023
Buttigieg, meanwhile, has been touting the Department’s accomplishments, tweeting out a video recently about how work is being done “on thousands of infrastructure improvements across the U.S.”
Dirt is flying and projects are moving. We’re working on thousands of infrastructure improvements across the U.S.
Our investments in New York are connecting millions of people to opportunity and delivering game-changing transportation projects that will grow America’s economy. pic.twitter.com/pwPlLafdGO
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) November 5, 2023
“Secretary Buttigieg continues to blow off the American people who simply want to know the true cost of his taxpayer-funded private jet trips,” APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“After multiple FOIA requests, a lawsuit, and an ongoing inspector general investigation, Buttigieg’s office still refuses to provide vital details about using a private government jet for a swing state tour, which appears more akin to campaigning than official DOT business,” Sutherland added.”Buttigieg looks to be politicizing his role and making it clear that he believes he’s above accountability and transparency, a dismissive attitude that seems to be endemic throughout the Biden administration.”
Greene;’s measure will have to pass the Senate to actually affect Buttigieg’s taxpayer-funded salary, which is not likely to happen. Only the president can fully remove him from the Cabinet position.
