Buttigieg vows 'infrastructure week' won't be 'punchline' in Biden administration

President-elect Joe Biden's choice to lead the Transportation Department is vowing that the incoming administration “will lead the way” on rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure.

And Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor and a rival to Biden during the Democratic presidential primaries, also took a shot at the outgoing administration of President Trump.

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Buttigieg, speaking Wednesday in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Del., after being formally named as the president-elect’s choice for Transportation secretary, said that “Americans expect us to see to it that the idea of an ‘Infrastructure Week’ is associated with results and never again a media punchline.”

During his four years in the White House, Trump’s administration kept holding “Infrastructure Week” events. But they were never able to push Congress to pass any comprehensive plan to update the nation’s roads and bridges, rails and airports.

Buttigieg’s transportation experience paled compared to other contenders for the cabinet position, which oversees a department of 55,000 employees. As mayor of South Bend, a city of roughly 100,000 people, he oversaw a relatively small rapid transit system. The city is serviced by an airport that is administered by county officials.

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But Biden praised his nominee, noting that “I got to know Pete on the campaign trail. He’s one of the smartest people you will ever meet and one of the most humble. A mayor from the heartland, a management expert, and a policy wonk with a big heart.”

He added that Buttigieg, a veteran who deployed to Afghanistan and who would make history as the nation’s first openly gay cabinet secretary to be confirmed by the Senate, is a “new voice with new ideas, determined to move past the old politics.”

Biden highlighted that Buttigieg was selected for transportation “because the department is at the intersection of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better…Pete’s got the perspective of a mayor that solves problems and brings people together.”

Touting his record as mayor, Buttigieg appeared to push back against criticism for not doing enough during his tenure in South Bend to repair potholes.

“We also dealt with the challenges created by generations of inadequate state and federal infrastructure funding. With just enough resources to repave every lane-mile of street only every hundred years or so, I faced a constant battle with that natural enemy of every mayor: the pothole,” he said.

And Buttigieg highlighted that “in a community where more than a quarter of our residents lived in poverty, we worked to fill in the gaps that were created when underfunded transit resources left too many cut off from opportunity, just because they did not have the means to own a car.

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A lack of national experience didn’t stop Buttigieg from skyrocketing on the presidential primary campaign trail. The longest of longshots when he announced his White House bid, Buttigieg zoomed into contention for the nomination at the beginning of this year. He edged Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa caucuses before finishing a close second to the senator from Vermont in the New Hampshire primary.

While Buttigieg was riding high after his successes in the mostly White states of Iowa and New Hampshire, when the electorate diversified, his fortunes plummeted. A third-place finish in the Nevada caucuses was followed by a distant fourth-place showing in the South Carolina primary.

Buttigieg ended his presidential run after South Carolina and immediately backed Biden, becoming one of the former vice president’s top surrogates. In the autumn, he helped Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, another rival from the Democratic primaries, prepare for the vice presidential debate. Buttigieg played the role of Vice President Mike Pence in practice sessions ahead of the showdown.

Though Buttigieg is considered by many Democrats to be a rising star within the party, he’s faced criticism from some progressive groups and Black activists for not doing enough as South Bend mayor to deal with racial inequality.

Buttigieg noted in his comments that when it comes to transportation,” misguided policies and missed opportunities can reinforce racial and economic inequality, dividing or isolating neighborhoods, undermining government’s basic role of empowering Americans to thrive.”  But he highlighted that the incoming administration “can deliver policies and resources in transportation that will create jobs, rise to the climate challenge, and equitably serve all Americans.”

Buttigieg, referencing the historic nature of his pick, said that he was “mindful that the eyes of history are on this appointment, knowing that this is the first time an American president has ever sent an openly LGBTQ cabinet member to the Senate for confirmation.”

And he thanked Biden “for honoring your commitment to diversity with this administration you’re assembling.”

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It appears both Biden and Buttigieg would benefit from his confirmation as transportation secretary.

Buttigieg, a Rhodes scholar, is a polished public speaker who was aggressive in gaining media attention during his White House run. That could help the incoming Biden administration grab a spotlight for pushing a major infrastructure bill, which will be a priority in 2021.

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But Buttigieg also benefits.

With a high profile cabinet position, the soon to be 39-year old Buttigieg gets to broaden his political resume and stay firmly in the national spotlight, which can only help if he yearns to make another presidential run in the years to come.