Buttigieg’s Use Of Federal Jets Under Review By Transportation Department Watchdog

Topline

The Department of Transportation’s inspector general is launching an audit into Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of federal jets for official trips, as Buttigieg comes under fire by Republicans for what they consider a slow response to the release of toxic chemicals in a train derailment earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio.

Key Facts

The audit will specifically look into Buttigieg and his staff’s use of jets operated and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration and used for DOT and FAA senior executives, under a set of restrictions.

Under those restrictions, executives can only use the jets for “official travel or on a space available basis”—a policy requested to be examined by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who made the request citing a Fox News report published last December that found Buttigieg has taken at least 18 flights on “taxpayer-funded private jets” since he took office just over two years ago.

According to that report, Buttigieg has used the jets on trips to several states, including Ohio, Florida and New Hampshire.

The audit will also look into the use of federal jets by the Trump Administration’s Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who also faced pushback for using FAA planes, reportedly costing roughly $94,000.

Big Number

In a statement response to the audit seen by Forbes, a spokesperson for Buttigieg’s office said, “We welcome this independent audit moving forward in order to put some of the false, outlandish and cynical claims about the Secretary’s mode of travel to rest,” adding the “fact remains that he flies commercially the vast majority of the time.”

Crucial Quote

$41,905. That’s how much Buttigieg’s 18 flights on federal government jets cost, according to the DOT, though Buttigieg’s office contends all but one of those flights were less expensive than commercial flights. In a statement, Buttigieg’s office claimed it used one of the nine-seat FAA planes when it was determined to either be more cost effective or for “exceptional scheduling or security reasons.”

Tangent

The audit comes as Buttigieg faces harsh criticism from GOP lawmakers, who claim he acted slowly in response to the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train in rural eastern Ohio earlier this month, spilling toxic chemicals including vinyl chloride into the groundwater in an event that led to a town-wide evacuation. Late last week, Republican members of the House Oversight Committee launched a probe into Buttigieg’s response to the derailment, which Buttigieg admitted in a trip to East Palestine should have come “sooner,” though he claimed his decision to visit the site after three weeks was the norm. Buttigieg, who tweeted over a week after the derailment, then called out former President Donald Trump for several decisions during his presidency to discontinue a set of rail industry regulations around safety audits and faster brakes on trains carrying flammable materials, urging Trump to express support for those decisions.

Further Reading

Buttigieg Grilled In East Palestine: Criticizes Trump As Derailment Sparks Partisan Feud (Forbes)

House Republicans Launch Probe Into Buttigieg’s East Palestine Derailment Response (Forbes)