Buttigieg: Lawmakers can call infrastructure package ‘whatever they like’ but ‘it’s good policy’

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Sunday that he will continue to pursue bipartisan support for President Biden’s infrastructure bill because “it’s good policy,” saying both Democrats and Republicans can “call it whatever they like” as the definition of infrastructure takes the spotlight.

While appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper noted to Buttigieg that parts of his proposed legislative package, such as elder care, are outside what many consider to be infrastructure. Tapper questioned whether or not redefining infrastructure is undermining Buttigieg’s attempts to garner bipartisan support for the legislation.

“Well it doesn’t seem to be undermining anything because this bill, this package, both in terms of the individual parts and as a whole, is enjoying enormous support from the American people, including Republicans,” Buttigieg responded. 

“I very much believe that all of these things are infrastructure because infrastructure is the foundation that allows us to go about our lives. But, you know, if there are Senate Republicans who don’t agree, we can agree to disagree on what to call it, I’m still gonna ask you to vote for it,” Buttigieg continued. “So at the end of the day they can call it whatever they like, but we’re asking them to support it because it’s good policy.”

Tapper also asked Buttigieg if he believed the infrastructure package could be passed by July 4th, as Biden has signaled he would like to see, or if it may be delayed until September.

“The president wants to see major action in Congress and real progress by Memorial Day. [Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)] laid out that July timeline for getting something passed,” Buttigieg replied. “You know we’ve got some surreal kind of shot clocks on this in terms of things that have to get reauthorized by the end of September so, you know, the sooner the better, I think is the bottom line.”