Buttigieg confirmation hearing slated for Thursday

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing for the role of Transportation secretary will be held Thursday. 

Just a day after President-elect Joe Biden is slated for inauguration, Buttigieg will face questions from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 

Buttigieg rose to national prominence while running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before exiting the race and endorsing Biden. 

If he’s confirmed, he’s expected to play a key role in helping to shape Biden’s climate change agenda by working to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. 

Last month, he called for putting “millions of new electric vehicles on America’s roads” and building “public charging infrastructure powered by clean energy,” in a tweet. 

Buttigieg was the mayor of South Bend from 2012 to 2020, though he took a seven-month leave to serve in the Navy. He was previously a consultant with McKinsey & Company.

When he formally introduced Buttigieg, Biden said that he’s “got the perspective of a mayor that solves problems and brings people together.”

If he’s approved, Buttigieg will be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary to be confirmed by the Senate, though Rick Grenell, who served as the acting director of national intelligence from February to May, was the first openly LGBTQ Cabinet secretary.