Buttigieg Slammed for Yet Another Travel Crisis

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg comes under fire once more after the Federal Aviation Administration A rare and alarming ground stop was made Wednesday morning for all U.S. airlines. 

Numerous pilots text me to inform me that Pete Buttigieg’s and the FAA’s only upgrade to NOTAM was to change it. “Notice to Airmen” To “Notice to Air Missions.” That’s it. That was in December 2021.

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 11, 2023

Buttigieg is the most inept cabinet secretary of all time

We all know he cares more for TV appearances then actually doing his job.https://t.co/IfQYar0jWZ”>https://t.co/IfQYar0jWZ

— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) January 11, 2023

All domestic flights are now grounded for the first time since September 11. It’s just one transportation crisis after another under Biden. Instead of worrying about racist roads & gas powered cars, ⁦he⁩ should focus on REAL transportation & cyber security upgrades. https://t.co/niUGTISuxm

— Nicole Malliotakis (@NMalliotakis) January 11, 2023

President Joe Biden said that Buttigieg isn’t sure what caused the computer outage that resulted in the ground stop. 

“I just spoke with [Transportation Secretary] Buttigieg. They don’t know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him,” Biden spoke Wednesday morning on the South Lawn, White House. “I told them to report directly to me when they find out. Aircraft can still land safely, just not take off right now. They don’t know what the cause of it is, they expect in a couple of hours they’ll have a good sense of what caused it and will respond at that time.”

FAA has declared that the safety systems affected by the overnight outage are fully restored and the nationwide ground-stop will be lifted immediately. I have directed an after action process to determine the root causes of the outage and recommend next steps.

— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) January 11, 2023

Buttigieg, who took office in early 2021 has been embroiled in controversy. His lack of transportation experience was repeatedly highlighted by a series of crises. Buttigieg went on months of paternity leave during the 2021 supply chain crisis, in which thousands of shipping containers were stranded offshore, and he did not appoint a deputy. Buttigieg went on vacation to Portugal during negotiations that almost resulted in an economically devastating rail strike across the nation. 

Fox News interviewed Buttigieg last week to defend his record and deny claims that he has been missing in action. 

.@BretBaier: “You kept a low profile during the Southwest debacle…You were in Portugal during the rail strike crisis. You were on paternity leave during the 2021 supply chain crisis…how do you address that criticism?”

BUTTIGIEG: “It’s nonsense.” pic.twitter.com/tLGKrhzMEw

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 5, 2023

Buttigieg has come under fire in recent weeks for his use private jets, especially after his lectures on climate change and his abuse of taxpayer-funded travel.

This follows last month’s bombshell report that Buttigieg has taken at least 18 taxpayer-funded private jet flights since taking office, despite advocating for major emissions reductions and failing to improve commercial air travel for normal Americans. https://t.co/hmMhYSkKG3

— Americans for Public Trust (@apublictrust) January 4, 2023