Biden pick for transportation, Buttigieg, advances in Senate

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

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

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

Biden has been urging Senate, where Democrats hold a bare majority, to move quickly on his Cabinet picks given 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 spread of deadly virus. president has also pledged an ambitious nda of jobs growth, fighting climate change and promoting racial equity.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, panel's incoming Democratic chair, praised Buttigieg's credentials before 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 transportation sector, particularly car emissions, a top contributor in 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 climate nda. Advocates hope his public stature and loyal following from 2020 campaign could help win over lawmakers and push through broad infrastructure changes long unachievable on Capitol Hill.

Buttigieg, in a tweet, thanked members of Commerce Committee for “ir vote of confidence in me" on Wednesday. He said he looked forward to teaming with members of committee “as we get to work on infrastructure and building our ecomy back better.”

At his confirmation hearing last week, Buttigieg received bipartisan praise as he pledged an immediate focus on transportation safety while pointing to a “generational” opportunity to help remake how people travel.

As examples, he pledged to help put in place new federal automotive fuel ecomy standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote quicker development of self-driving cars and push use of electric vehicles, such as by adding a half-million charging stations nationwide.

Republican senators during his hearing signaled future battles ahead over cost and scope of updating nation’s roads and bridges, rails and airports, a broad goal that eluded former President Donald Trump last four years, but y said y looked forward to many discussions with Buttigieg.

Biden has said he will unveil full details of his infrastructure plan next month.

(Im Credit: AP)