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The secretary of Transportation responded to questions from his followers.
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.
\u201cEn route back to DC after a productive and energizing visit to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. \n\nPretty good WiFi on board\u2026 happy to take a few questions for the next little while if you\u2019d like to reply here with anything on your mind.\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
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.
\u201c@ravsinger Safety. It\u2019s always the top priority for our department, and I consider it the main reason @USDOT exists. That\u2019s true on everything from @FAA regulations to @PHMSA_DOT pipeline oversight. And that reminds me, stay tuned for the release of our National Roadway Safety Strategy soon\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
\u201c@nora_hoffman7 Lots going on here, including implementing $1.75B in funding for the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) championed by @SenDuckworth to make more transit stations ADA compliant, as part of the new bipartisan infrastructure bill.\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
\u201c@xrootintootin That was a big focus of our trip today. We\u2019ve been promoting steps like 24/7 operations in ports, sweeper ships to clear out empties, fines to make sure shippers move containers that are getting in the way, and more. For the longer term, infrastructure improvements are key.\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
\u201c@lifesabear Absolutely. Our goal is to support a national network of over 500,000 chargers, and we\u2019re already hard at work with @ENERGY and @SecGranholm to make the best use of the funds in the infrastructure bill. https://t.co/7Hdfv6CYSj\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
"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!"
\u201c@cjmcginnis Some folks say hello, which is always nice. I especially enjoy getting to know flight attendants and pilots and learning how things are going for them.\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
\u201c@JayFranzone It\u2019s amazing and indescribable. It\u2019s incredibly fulfilling (and demanding) work for @chasten and me both, and it\u2019s changed the way we relate to the future. Not sleeping much but we\u2019re completely in love!\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1641946553
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