A secretary of the people.
United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg picked up a social media program that his followers first started by his husband, Chasten, during Buttigieg's presidential campaign. On Tuesday afternoon, he took to Twitter to answer questions about his work in the Transportation Department as well as about his personal life. He answered the questions on a flight from Long Beach, Calif., where he had been visiting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
When one person asked about Buttigieg's top priority, he answered "safety."
"That's true on everything from [Federal Aviation Administration] regulations to Pipeline of Hazardous materials Safety Administration pipeline oversight," he wrote. He continued writing that there was a National Roadway Safety Strategy release coming soon.
He went on, telling another follower that the department would be making transit stations compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, while also saying that the department is still fixing various supply chain issues.
The Biden administration has often spoken about electric cars, and Buttigieg answered questions about those as well.
"Our goal is to support a national network of over 500,000 chargers," he said. Work has already started on how the funds from the infrastructure bill could be best used to do this, he added. But some of the questions turned personal.
Chris McGinnis, a journalist, asked about Buttigieg's public reception when flying commercial. The politician answered that some people say hello but he enjoys "getting to know flight attendants and pilots and learning how things are going for them." He also wrote about how he's finding fatherhood.
"It's amazing and indescribable," he wrote. "It's incredibly fulfilling (and demanding) work for Chasten and me both, and it's changed the way we relate to the future. Not sleeping much but completely in love!"
