The House of Representatives voted this week to cut the salary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to $1. The move comes less than a year after the cabinet official received considerable criticism over his agency’s response to the train derailment and chemical leak in East Palestine, Ohio.
The move was introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who wrote that “Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards.”
“Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trip[s] to accept LGBTQ awards for him,” she wrote. “I’m happy my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny.”
The effort passed via a voice vote on Tuesday, with no floor vote taken.
The measure was included as an amendment in a wider Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development spending bill.
U.S. House passes bill saying Pete Buttigieg shouldn't get paid more than $1. Here are a few of his ideas that suggest $1 is too much.https://t.co/d9SEOOpClJhttps://t.co/d9SEOOpClJ
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) November 8, 2023
Much of the criticism regarding the 2020 presidential candidate surrounds his agency’s response to the February crash in the small Ohio city.
The crash and leak released dangerous vinyl chloride. Officials burned off the remaining chemicals, which sent a noxious black smoke into the air. Following the derailment, locals reported seeing thousands of dead animals around the affected site.
Buttigieg did not visit East Palestine for several weeks following the incident.
Furthermore, Buttigieg attracted criticism over the Department of Transportation’s response to a number of commercial flight cancellations.
The secretary has also flown on private jets at least 18 times since taking office, which was then investigated by the agency’s inspector general.
One of the flights was to Montreal to accept an award for his “contributions to the advancement of LGBTQ rights.”
One of the most significant criticisms came during negotiations to defuse a possible railroad strike last year.
The secretary went to Portugal on vacation while the Biden administration attempted to prevent the strike. The Department of Transportation called the visit a “long-planned personal trip.”
