President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced he has chosen former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg to serve as Secretary of Transportation. Buttigieg, 38, would require Senate confirmation after Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration to take the cabinet position.
Buttigieg, one of Biden's vanquished rivals for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has no direct experience within the transportation industry but served as mayor of South Bend from 2012 to 2020 and also has served as a McKinsey & Co. management consultant, primarily in the retail industry.
Biden during the presidential campaign committed to increase funding for several travel-related initiatives, including the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program and its NextGen air traffic control modernization initiative, and proposed a new competitive grant program for airport renovation projects. He also said he would push for an expansion of high-speed rail, particularly in the Northeast Corridor and California.
Buttigieg, if confirmed, would take the helm of DOT at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the U.S. travel industry, even as suppliers look to the rollout of vaccines throughout the country as a first step to recovery.
Current Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has served the entirety of Donald Trump's term, and will exit the role upon Biden's inauguration.
Reuters first reported news of Buttigieg's nomination Tuesday.
[Update, Dec. 15] This report and its headline have been updated to reflect Biden's announcement.