On Thursday, POLITICO reported that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had been on four weeks of paternity leave in August and September as he and his partner adopted twin babies. A couple of days ago, Florida Republican Senator demanded that the Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo must testify before a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in Congress. A spokeswoman for the senator confirmed this news to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
Other Republicans have also criticized Buttigieg including Senator Cynthia Lummis who said in a statement to the Examiner that the Department of Transportation could and should do more to “address ongoing supply chain issues related to the pandemic.”
Pete Buttigieg has faced criticism from Republicans in the past but never had to face a crisis such as the supply chain one. Republican Senator Tom Cotton also criticized Buttigieg. Many others from the GOP or its supporters also criticized him.
On Wednesday, Buttigieg was back in the headlines for supply chain issue related news. The Biden administration announced that it had received a series of commitments from the private sector that they would play an important role in improving the supply chain issue in the nation.
The White House met representatives from transportation and shipping unions, representatives from major corporations, and port envoys to find a solution to the bottleneck faced by the nation. One positive announcement following these talks has been that the port of Los Angeles will operate 24X7.
From the past weeks, ports have seen ships docked miles away from the port as there have been insufficient workers to unload cargo as well as a huge shortage of truck drivers to carry shipping container away from the docks. There is sufficient stocks of most goods for the holiday season but the ability for them to reach store shelves has been problematic.
