The US Travel Association is applauding the appointment of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg who was easily confirmed with a vote of 86-13.
Pete Buttigieg, former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, made history today, Tuesday, February 2, 2021, becoming the first openly gay man to win Senate confirmation to run a Cabinet department. He was easily confirmed as Secretary of Transportation by a vote of 86-13. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg has become one of the most visible faces of the administration even before his confirmation, appearing on The Tonight Show and The View as well as other outlets.
The U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the Senate confirmation of Pete Buttigieg to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation:
“The Department of Transportation will play a pivotal role in safely restarting domestic and international air travel, and Secretary Buttigieg’s pragmatic approach to transportation policy will ensure we can do it in a way that protects public health and ensures economic growth can safely resume.
“As a former mayor, Buttigieg brings priority-based thinking to transportation investment, which will be valuable since travel and tourism has been hit by far the hardest of any U.S. industry by the fallout of the pandemic. Now is the time to prioritize investments in projects that will accelerate recovery, usher in the future of mobility, and ensure the travel industry is globally competitive.
“Travel and tourism lost $500 billion and 4.5 million jobs as travel ground to a halt last year, and our industry looks forward to working with Buttigieg to facilitate a strong comeback. We thank the Senate for the swift consideration of his nomination so that this important work can begin.”
Buttigieg is at age 39 the youngest member of Biden’s Cabinet. He will take the reins at a sprawling agency with jurisdiction over everything from federal highways to pipelines, air traffic and railroads, employing some 55,000 people.
After the vote, Buttigieg tweeted that he was “honored and humbled by today’s vote in the Senate – and ready to get to work.”
