Funviralpark Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg faces demands and pressure from influential leaders across political circles as tens of thousands of Americans remain stranded at airports across the country.
Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,500 flights, or 62% of its scheduled flights on Wednesday, and plans to cancel an estimated two-thirds of flights in the days to come. Democratic and Republican elected officials and political activists have called on the Department of Transportation to hold the company accountable for customers to receive full refunds and accommodations.
“Southwest Airlines flight delays and cancellations are unacceptable,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted Wednesday. “This is a company that received a $7 billion bailout from taxpayers and will pay out $428 million in dividends to wealthy shareholders. We have to hold them accountable.”
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” that air travel “will get better by the holidays.”
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Buttigieg said on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in September that air travel “will get better by the holidays.” Nina Turner, the national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has accused Buttigieg’s over-the-top ambitions for higher office to be problematic.
“What’s happening to railroads, airlines and supply chains is the result of a small mayor becoming secretary of transportation as a way to fill out a presidential resume,” she tweeted on Tuesday. “Secretary Buttigieg is a prime example of failure.”
Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, issued a statement on Tuesday declaring that federal regulations need to be updated to prevent similar disasters in the future.
“The commission will investigate the causes of these disruptions and their impact on consumers,” Cantwell said. “Many airlines fail to properly communicate with consumers during flight cancellations.Consumers deserve strong protections, including updated consumer refund rules.”
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Pete Buttigieg and husband Chasten
(Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
For more than a year, Republican leaders have complained that Buttigieg is not taking his job seriously amid a series of crises against the American people. Buttigieg was vacationing in Europe as the railroad union tried to negotiate a deal in September. Her secretary took several months of parental leave last year for her husband and their two newborns as her country faced supply chain shortages.
Rep. Nancy Mace (RS.C.) criticized the Department of Transportation’s slow response, saying she could barely see her children over Christmas because of flight delays.
“It took the DOT four days to finally speak, with thousands of cancellations. Same thing, it took the Southwest CEO four days to finally speak,” Mace said on Wednesday. He told Friends Morning.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) noted in a Fox News digital report that Buttigieg has flown at least 18 flights using taxpayer-funded private jets since taking office.
“If @USDOT is serious about the Southwest’s recent implosion, its leader, @SecretaryPete, should be banned from flying privately,” Biggs tweeted Wednesday. “Why wasn’t he aware of these challenges ahead of time? He was late to the game and lost contact.”
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tours the Seagart Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore on Thursday, July 29, 2021.
(Al Drago/Bloomberg)
Buttigieg had a quick Twitter exchange with House Judiciary Republicans, tweeting on Tuesday, “Where’s @SecretaryPete? #SouthwestAirlines.”
“Good morning! I am currently in the Houses of Parliament not far from your office,” the secretary tweeted. “We will continue to use our authorities and resources as agents to obtain passenger results. If you are requesting a policy that deepens these resources, please be specific. We welcome dialogue.” .”
Buttigieg was warned by members of his party of concerns within the airline industry ahead of Southwest Airlines’ mass cancellations. Cantwell, along with Senators Ed Markey of D-Mass and Richard Blumenthal of Conn., submitted comments to the Department of Transportation in November to finalize rules to ensure consumers are properly refunded. He said the process of doing so needs to be expedited. Cancellation and Acquisition of Accommodation.
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Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) sent a joint letter to Buttigieg in July calling for rules to similarly protect consumers from cancellations. New York Attorney General Letitia James, D., also sent a letter to Buttigieg on the matter in August.
