ICYMI: A Town Hall with Secretary Pete Buttigieg

GU Politics

DHRUV SHAH: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee (SFS ‘94) and SiriusXM’s Julie Mason in Gaston Hall on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, for a conversation about the bipartisan infrastructure law. Officially titled the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” it became law in November of 2021 and provides $550 billion over five years for new federal investment in infrastructure.

Transportation has been the subject of major news stories in the past few months, namely the possibility of a rail strike and the mass dysfunction in the airline industry. Before diving into the bipartisan infrastructure law, Secretary Buttigieg gave a brief update on both of these topics. He mentioned that the negotiations between the rail companies and unions are very complex because it isn’t simply two parties that have to agree, but numerous parties as there are multiple unions and companies involved in the talks. He did, however, express optimism that a rail strike would be averted and that the department would keep an eye on the situation. With respect to the airlines, the Secretary spoke about how the airline industry was given $50 billion of taxpayer money to keep it afloat during the pandemic, which in turn means higher expectations as demand for travel increases. Buttigieg outlined the two avenues the Department of Transportation has used to protect consumers and incentivize better behavior from airline companies. First, the department would use its official powers to educate travelers on their rights when their flight is canceled or delayed and to enforce rules in this area. Second, the department uses the unofficial tools it has by publishing a website that summarizes the “fine print” policies of the major airlines. Buttigieg says that this move has already incentivized better accommodations from airlines in the circumstances of controllable cancellations and delays.  

Shifting focus to the infrastructure law, Buttigieg was asked why people should care about the new law and the importance of infrastructure. He clearly prepared for this question, analogizing this law to President Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal and President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, joking that he was trying to make “the Big Deal” the nickname for this bill. Buttigieg spoke to the historic nature of this package, saying it is the biggest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. An example he gave about the impact of this bill is how current infrastructure in Washington state is preventing salmon from traveling upstream and that $1 billion was appropriated to address this issue. A common theme throughout the discussion was how transportation and infrastructure policy may not be glamorous but is integral to an efficient and thriving America.

The final topic discussed was the politics of infrastructure and how this bill was passed in such a polarized political environment. Mo Elleithee, in asking this question, joked how in his 20 years of being a “political hack,” every week was infrastructure week, and yet nothing would ever actually get done about it. In his answer, Buttigieg talked about how infrastructure should be “the least partisan thing in politics,” and the bipartisan passage of this law proves President Biden’s core theory of change that bipartisanship still exists and should be valued. He discussed how many of the Congressmembers who voted against the infrastructure law now take credit for the individual projects in their respective districts or states, making a point that good policy is good politics, regardless of what side of the aisle you are on. Buttigieg went on to mention that under President Trump, infrastructure was a key policy priority, yet he was unable to accomplish it, emphasizing how President Biden’s emphasis on bipartisanship was vital to getting the bill passed. 

The last half of the town hall consisted of questions from Georgetown University students, covering topics such as the relationship between climate change and infrastructure, the affordability of electric vehicles, and safety concerns in relation to self-driving cars. The most provocative question was left until the end. When asked about his future political endeavors, Buttigieg was faced with applause by the audience and then employed the usual dodge, saying he was limited in what he could say in his official capacity as a Cabinet Secretary. 

Check out the entire town hall with Secretary Pete Buttigieg here:

Dhruv Shah is the Campus Editor for On the Record. He is from North Brunswick, NJ and is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service, studying International Economics. Dhruv is particularly interested in progressive politics and economic policy.