A former politician and activist from the radical left, Nina Turner, slammed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday over the country’s supply-chain and transportation problems.
Citing an averted railway strike, delays and cancellations by airlines, and supply-chain issues, Turner said the series of crises resulted from “a small city mayor being made the Secretary of Transportation.”
Biden nominated Buttigieg for transportation secretary in 2021. He was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, between 2012 and 2020. He is now among the most powerful politicians in Washington, DC, after Congress passed a trillion-dollar transportation bill in November 2021. The bill enables Buttigieg to manage these funds across the country.
“What's happening with the railroads, airlines & the supply chain is a result of a small city mayor being made the Secretary of Transportation as a means to pad his resume for President,” she tweeted. “Secretary Buttigieg is a prime example of failing up.”
This is not the first time Turner has been a snarky critic of Buttigieg for his lack of competence in his post. In a statement on Monday, Turner stood by her prior criticisms of the secretary regarding not holding airlines accountable.
“And before anyone accuses me of calling him out after the fact—no. I’ve been calling on @PeteButtigieg to take on these airlines all year,” she said and retweeted her post from August: “It’s time for @SecretaryPete to stop playing footie with these airlines and start holding them accountable via fines. I know he loves corporations, but he works for the people—not corporations.”
Criticisms of Buttigieg have come back to the forefront following many flight delays over the Christmas season. Breitbart News reported:
“Southwest Airlines’ travel woes are continuing as the major airline attempts to recover from what it has described as ‘operational challenges,’ canceling over 2,600 flights on Tuesday alone.
“The travel issues began days ahead of Christmas as a massive winter storm battered the U.S. But while other U.S. airlines experienced varying disruptions, Southwest has failed to regain its footing, canceling thousands of flights day by day.
“Christmas day, Southwest canceled 1,635 flights, accounting for over half of canceled flights related to the U.S. that day. The following day, Southwest canceled 71 percent of its flights—2,909 specifically.”
