(Photo Credits: Screengrab at ABC57’S Official Facebook Account)
It’s official, guys, Pete Buttigieg is now the 19th U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
History made. Congratulations, @SecretaryPete — now let’s get to work building our nation’s infrastructure back better, creating good-paying, union jobs, and addressing the climate crisis. https://t.co/DMAa9lxFrj
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 3, 2021
The two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday with 86-13 vote. The 39-year-old Afghanistan war veteran makes history as the first openly gay Senate-confirmed member of a presidential Cabinet and as one of the youngest Cabinet secretaries the U.S. has seen in decades.
Buttigieg, who was one of President Biden’s rivals during the Democratic presidential primaries, was formally sworn into office this Wednesday by Vice President Kamala Harris. He took his oath on a Bible owned by his mother while his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, held it. Watch the moment below:
Today, I was humbled to swear an oath to serve our nation in this moment of challenge and opportunity, knowing that we now have a historic chance to take American infrastructure to a new level. pic.twitter.com/ik9jm4M4QP
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 3, 2021
Buttigieg took to twitter to release a brief statement after he was sworn in. He said, “I’m honored to serve as Secretary of Transportation and help build the kind of infrastructure that creates jobs, empowers all, and keeps travelers & workers safe. It’s time to get to work.”
I’m honored to serve as Secretary of Transportation and help build the kind of infrastructure that creates jobs, empowers all, and keeps travelers & workers safe.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 3, 2021
It’s time to get to work.
As transportation secretary, Buttigieg will be the head of a department that has a multi-billion dollar budget, one that employs 55,000 people.
President Biden, who describes Buttigieg as someone who will “bring a new voice to the administration,” said he chose Buttigieg for the post “because the department is at the center of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better.” Some of these goals included “rebuilding climate-resilient new infrastructure and restoring our crumbling roads, bridges and ports.”
Meanwhile, Human Rights Campaign (HRC)—the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States—congratulated Buttigieg on his confirmation. “This confirmation breaks through a barrier that has existed for too long; where LGBTQ identity served as an impediment to nomination or confirmation at the highest level of government,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement. “Let this important moment for our movement serve as a reminder to every LGBTQ young person: you too can serve your country in any capacity you earn the qualifications to hold.”
Mr. David added, “President Biden promised to deliver an administration representative of the diversity of this nation, and this confirmation is a significant achievement toward that goal. I look forward to working with Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the entire Biden cabinet.”
Read this story in full here and here.
What a great day for him as an individual and the LGBTQ community. Like so many LGBTQ he represents the he is just a person who is willing to offer the best of himself to the community he serves. It is a reminder that excellence has always existed in the LGBTQ community for the world to benefit from. Meanwhile, I hope he does a great job because our bridges and roads need some serious help.
Great day in the history of politics!! A openly gay man was sworn in by a woman of color as his husband held his mother’s bible. Looking forward to reading what the “retrumpicans” on here have to say about that.
It’s irrelevant who he goes to bed with; men, women, or anything in between. I care about his politics, his political positions, his beliefs, and how he sees the economic and social problems facing our country. That is what is important, not his sexual habits or peccadilloes.
Because he is an avowed progressive/socialist, his beliefs are diametrically opposed to mine. As such I wouldn’t appoint this failed former mayor as dog catcher much less to a Cabinet position in the federal government.
Yeah, he’s just not my favorite, however, we cannot-will not, have all of these “fringe-groups” minorities, women under the control of just one group: Hetero-white, primarily males. . . they’re just not the majority anymore, as such seeming obsessed with control out of fear. Given this fact, “we” are going to have to have a say, a part in the “healthy function” of this country, the past is no longer viable in a global competition, can’t even be competent as we’ve seen. They spent too much energy tryin’ to hold everyone else down, and look where that has gotten us.… Read more »
I’m always confused how a gay person can say he is against progressives. If it weren’t for progressives, gays would still need to hide who they are and feel ashamed about who they love. Meanwhile, gays would continue to feel less than human and not have a true voice at the table of change. I understand that a person can be a conservative constitutionalist and be gay. But unfortunately, I don’t think many people really understand that you can be a conservative as well as be progressive while maintaining integrity for gay rights. If it weren’t for progressives, you wouldn’t… Read more »
I’d say relax and give the former mayor a chance. It’s going to be hard for any president to duplicate Trump and the stable cabinet choices he made. Lmbo!!!!!! Too numerous to count..Face it folks, “That keep America (white) great again” bull is gone for good!!!!!
He worked in the protected Blue Zone in Iraq on drones used by the intelligence operatives (CIA and SEALS and others) to kill terrorists (our opponents) but many were misdirected and killed innocent men, eomen, children, and old people. The numbers are huge compared to the number of our killed and injured – and we traumatized, maimed, or killed a lot of our own in a 20 year war started based on intelligence lies about Hussein weapons of mass destruction (nonexistent), pancake uranium (a known lie), and he was a former ally in our war against Iran where he used… Read more »
Remember when Trump appointed a much more intelligent and qualified openly gay man to director of national intelligence? I do…
But this message will probably be censored.
why do i see so many negative downvotes on this guy? Love you Petey baby! hope you become future VP (with Kamala) in the future, and possibly even the first gay president, honey!! ♥♥♥