President-Elect Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he selected former Mayor of South Bend, Pete Buttigieg, to lead the Department of Transportation. Previously, Buttigieg was under consideration for the Ambassador to China post.
Exclusive: President-elect Biden has chosen Pete Buttigieg to lead the U.S. Transportation Department, sources say https://t.co/mxKo9JdVZJ pic.twitter.com/n81mm9gra2
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 15, 2020
Pete Buttigieg will be getting a spot in the Biden cabinet (if confirmed by the Senate): transportation secretary, per a person familiar.
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) December 15, 2020
JUST IN: Pres.-elect Joe Biden expected to name former rival and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg to head the Dept. of Transportation, sources tell @ABC News. https://t.co/UGgzZKoaoR pic.twitter.com/v9Wx9CGmby
— ABC News (@ABC) December 15, 2020
New: Pete Buttigieg will be Joe Biden’s pick to be Transportation secretary, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, elevating the former South Bend mayor & 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to a top post in Biden admin. @merica reporting
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 15, 2020
Buttigieg, 38, would need to clear a Senate confirmation, which is likely to be controlled by Republicans. His thin credentials hardly align with his predecessor, Elaine Chao, who served in cabinet capacities under 3 separate administrations.
A former rival in the Democratic presidential primary, Biden previously compared Buttigieg to his late-son, Beau Biden.
"I know that may not mean much to most people, but to me it's the highest compliment I can give any man or woman," Biden said of the comparison.
As the presidential transition is underway, Biden continues to fill his cabinet; some of his picks will likely not be approved by a Republican Senate.
