Biden pick for transportation, Buttigieg, advances in Senate

Biden pick for transportation, Buttigieg, advances in Senate

SeattlePI.com

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel on Wednesday easily advanced President Joe Biden’s nomination of Pete Buttigieg to be transportation secretary, setting up a final confirmation vote for a key role in Biden’s push to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and confront climate change.

The Commerce Committee approved the nomination of Buttigieg, a 39-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, on a 21-3 vote.

His nomination now heads to the full Senate, where a vote could happen as early as this week. He would be the first openly gay person, and one of the youngest, confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post.

Biden has been urging the Senate, where Democrats hold a bare majority, to move quickly on his Cabinet picks given the current crisis of COVID-19, which prompted him in part to sign an executive order mandating masks on airplanes and in public transportation to help stem the spread of the deadly virus. The president has also pledged an ambitious agenda of jobs growth, fighting climate change and promoting racial equity.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, the panel's incoming Democratic chair, praised Buttigieg's credentials before the vote Wednesday and urged quick confirmation so he can get to work on COVID-19 safety in transportation. “He understands what all of us have to deal with on transportation and infrastructure,” Cantwell said.

With the transportation sector, particularly car emissions, a top contributor in the United States to global warming, Buttigieg, a former Democratic presidential rival whom Biden praised as bringing “a new voice,” is expected to play an important role in the climate agenda. Advocates hope his public stature and loyal following from the 2020 campaign could help win over lawmakers and push through broad infrastructure changes long...

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