Duckworth Secures Secretary-Designate Buttigieg’s Commitment to Prioritize Local Job Creation and Make Transportation Accessible for All
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the senior Democratic Member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety, today expressed strong support for the Senate swiftly confirming the Honorable Pete Buttigieg to be Secretary of Transportation. Duckworth focused her questions during Secretary-designate Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing today on critical national policy priorities including making sure federal infrastructure investments promote hiring local workers to help rebuild the communities they live in, as well as ensuring transportation infrastructure projects that are funded by all Americans are actually capable of serving all Americans, particularly travelers with disabilities. If confirmed, Buttigieg would be the first openly LGBTQ+ Cabinet Secretary and youngest Transportation Secretary in our nation’s history. A video of Duckworth’s question line is available here.
“Transportation Secretary-designate Buttigieg is precisely the kind of leader President Biden had in mind when he expressed a desire to serve as a ‘bridge’ to the next generation of leaders. Mayor Pete served our nation in uniform, led his local community and is now called on to help lead the Biden Administration’s effort to rebuild our country. I’m pleased that Secretary-designate Buttigieg agreed to work with me in taking a hard look at the one-size-fits-all regulation that bans federal projects in my home state from prioritizing the hiring of Illinoisans to rebuild the communities they live in, and it was encouraging that Secretary-designate affirmed the critical importance of making sure transportation infrastructure is accessible to all Americans, particularly travelers with disabilities. I strongly urge the Senate to swiftly confirm this nomination so Secretary Buttigieg can get to work and invest in every corner of Illinois and across our entire nation.”
Duckworth met virtually with Buttigieg earlier this month to discuss their shared priorities, such as investing in our nation’s infrastructure and transportation workers, creating good-paying jobs, reducing traffic congestion and boosting transit accessibility.
Duckworth’s Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill that will ensure that small airports across the country support nursing moms and promote breastfeeding-friendly environments, was signed into law last November. The bill builds on Duckworth’s success in enacting a law that ensures all large and medium airports provide a clean, private space where moms can breastfeed or pump. As a result as legislation that was passed by Duckworth, DOT finally implemented a new rule requiring air carriers to disclose for the first time how many checked bags, wheelchairs and motorized scooters they damage or mishandle each month.
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