Pete Buttigieg has taken having a cushy government job to a whole new level.
When he is needed for something important, he just doesn’t show up for work.
And Pete Buttigieg went on vacation while this major crisis was looming.
America narrowly avoided a railroad strike that would have had a crippling effect on the nation’s economy.
You would think the Secretary of Transportation would be on hand during these high-stakes negotiations.
President Biden had tapped Transportation Secretary Buttigieg as one of the administration’s key leaders on negotiations, but it appears that Buttigieg had other priorities.
Partying it up in wine country
Just a week before Amtrack began to cancel all long-distance trips in preparation for a rail strike, Pete Buttigieg left on vacation to Porto, Portugal, an area best known for its wine production.
It appears Buttigieg didn’t want the public to know about this trip.
Neither he, his husband, or the Transportation Department made any mention of it, and in the middle of the trip he posted a selfie video of himself at a US airport and said “If you’re traveling this weekend or anytime, know that our department has your back.”
If he flew commercial to his vacation destination, that would be a step down from the luxuries he is accustomed to.
After all, Buttigieg has taken 18 flights on private jets since taking his position as Transportation Secretary.
While himself flying on private jets, he has pushed “green” policies and pushed Americans to drive expensive and unreliable electric cars.
When his trip came under scrutiny, the Transportation Department tried to defend it saying it was a long-planned personal trip,” and that Buttigieg “remained available and engaged” while in Portugal.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) called out Buttigieg for his poorly-timed vacation.
“Pete Buttigieg will take paid vacation in Europe for days on end but doesn’t think rail workers should get more than one day of sick leave,” Senator Hawley said. “This is the same guy who took months of paid leave at the height of the supply chain crisis. If rail workers showed up for work as rarely as Buttigieg does, the country would fall apart.”
One major dispute with the rail unions was over the issue of paid sick leave.
But it seems that Buttigieg himself gets plenty of paid time off.
Buttigieg took two months of “paternity leave” after he and his husband adopted a baby.
This leave was taken amid the US experiencing critical supply chain issues and while Congress was debating infrastructure bills.
The final contract between the rail unions and management was never reached by negotiation and was forced through by Congress.
According to a report from the Association of American Railroads, a strike would have cost the American economy over $2 billion dollars per day.
But rather than go to work doing everything he could to prevent this potential catastrophe, Buttigieg was sipping wine on the other side of the world.
Patriot Political will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
