Buttigieg under fire from both sides amid South West holiday travel fiasco

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is facing demands and pressure from influential leaders across the political spectrum as tens of thousands of Americans remain stranded in airports across the country.

Southwest Airlines on Wednesday canceled more than 2,500 flights, or 62% of its scheduled flights, and expects to cancel about two-thirds of flights in the following days. Democratic and GOP lawmakers and political activists demanded that the Department of Transportation hold the company accountable so that customers receive full refunds and accommodations.

« Southwest’s flight delays and cancellations are beyond acceptable, » Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, tweeted Wednesday. « This is a company that got a $7 billion taxpayer bailout and will distribute $428 million in dividends to its wealthy shareholders. The Department of Transportation » must hold Southwest’s CEO accountable for his greed and his incompetence.

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Buttigieg said in September on « The Late Late Show With James Corden » that air travel « is going to get better by the holidays. » Nina Turner, the national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, blamed the problem on Buttigieg’s outsized ambitions for a higher position.

« What’s happening with the railroads, the airlines and the supply chain is the result of a small-town mayor being appointed secretary of transportation to supplement his resume for president, » she tweeted on Tuesday. « Secretary Buttigieg is a prime example of failure. »

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, released a statement Tuesday saying federal rules must be updated to prevent similar disasters in the future.

“The committee will examine the causes of these disruptions and their impact on consumers,” Cantwell said. « Many airlines are failing to communicate adequately with consumers during flight cancellations. Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule. »

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Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten
(Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

For more than a year, Republican leaders have complained that Buttigieg isn’t taking his job seriously amid a series of crises for Americans. Buttigieg was on vacation in Europe as railway unions tried to negotiate a deal in September to avoid a potentially disastrous strike. The secretary was on paternity leave with her husband and their two newborn babies for several months last year as the country faced supply shortages.

Representative Nancy Mace, RS.C., said she was almost unable to see her children over Christmas due to flight delays – and criticized the Department for Transport for being slow to respond.

« It took four days and thousands and thousands of cancellations for the DOT to finally speak; same thing, it took the CEO of Southwest four days to finally speak, » Mace said Wednesday on Fox and Friends Morning. “I hope at some point the government, when we step in and look at some of these issues, that we are more efficient and more effective.”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Az., noted a Fox News digital report that Buttigieg has flown at least 18 times using taxpayer-funded private jets since taking office.

« If @USDOT is serious about the recent Southwest implosion, it should ban its leader @SecretaryPete from flying privately, » Biggs tweeted on Wednesday. « Why wasn’t he aware of these challenges ahead of time? Late in the game and out of touch. »

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a tour of Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore Thursday, July 29, 2021.
(Al Drago/Bloomberg)

Buttigieg had a quick exchange on Twitter with the House Judiciary GOP, who tweeted Tuesday, « Where’s @SecretaryPete? #SouthwestAirlines. »

« Hello! Right now I’m on Capitol Hill not far from your offices, » the secretary replied on Twitter. « We will continue to deliver results for passengers using our authorities and resources as an agency. If you are asking for policies that would strengthen those resources, please be specific – I would welcome dialogue. »

Buttigieg was warned by members of his own party of concerns within the airline industry ahead of the massive Southwest cancellations. Cantwell, as well as Senator Ed Markey D-Mass. and Sen. Richard Blumenthal D-Conn., filed a comment in November with the Department of Transportation on the need to expedite its process to finalize a rule ensuring consumers are properly reimbursed for cancellations and obtain accommodations.

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The senses. Elizabeth Warren, D-Ma., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., sent a joint letter to Buttigieg in July similarly calling for rules to protect consumers from cancellations. New York Attorney General Letitia James, D, also sent Buttigieg a letter on the matter in August.