Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg was born in January 1982 in South Bend, Indiana. He earned an undergraduate degree in history and literature from Harvard University. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from Pembroke College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he was an investigative news reporter.
After earning his Oxford degree, he became a consultant at a management consulting firm in Chicago.
He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve and was sworn in as an ensign in naval intelligence. He spent some time deployed to Afghanistan and, among other things, was an armed driver for his commander on more than 100 trips into Kabul. He resigned his commission after eight years.
He was elected Mayor of South Bend, Indiana in 2011, serving two terms (part of which was spent in his Reserve duties in Afghanistan). He was a candidate for the office of President of the United States in the 2020 election, but he withdrew after the South Carolina primary.
He was nominated by President Joe Biden to be Secretary of Transportation, was confirmed by the Senate, and sworn in in early February 2021.
Buttigieg is married to Chasten. They have two children. He is an Anglican Christian.
In the News…
U.S. domestic travelers have experienced flight delays and cancellations as America faces a post-pandemic pilot and crew shortage. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently discussed the matter, saying the U.S. airlines will need a “new generation of qualified pilots” to fill a potential labor cap caused by Baby Boomers retiring from the profession.
During the interview, the secretary was asked if he would support increasing the retirement age of commercial pilots to 67, up from the current age 65 set by a 2007 law passed by Congress.
“These retirement ages are there for a reason and the reason is safety,” Secretary Buttigieg said. “I’m not going to be on board with anything that could compromise safety. Now, what’s clearly the case is we need to cultivate, train, and support a new generation of qualified pilots.”
He continued, “The answer is not to keep the Baby Boomer generation in the cockpit indefinitely. The answer is to make sure that we have as many and as good pilots ready to take their place — to have a stronger pipeline.”
To do so, he said his department is backing Federal Aviation Administration programs that support high school and university curricula that help students get into the aviation industry.
“Ultimately, it’ll be for the airlines and those employers to hire and retain excellent talent,” Secretary Buttigieg said, adding that it is “an issue we’re seeing across the aviation sector — across the transportation sector at large — the importance of having competitive pay, great job quality, so we can bring in and keep the people that are going to be needed to power America’s transportation sector.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Secretary Buttigieg today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20590
