Until fairly recently, , the Vermont senator swatted away any insistence of Buttigieg sharing blame for the derailment, stating, “Was he driving the train?”
Questions about Buttigieg’s political future recently resurfaced after Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced she will not run for another term in 2024. Last year, Buttigieg moved to Michigan. But the secretary quickly shot down the idea of a Senate run, stating he would stay in the administration instead.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are still demanding answers over recent transportation mishaps. Vance and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to Buttigieg Wednesday requesting more information on the conditions of the derailment.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Department is playing defense, including in a series of somewhat unusual tweets.
The department’s Twitter page has been actively replying to posts—including from personal accounts of everyday citizens, some with less than 200 followers—that criticize DOT and Buttigieg.
Arndt, DOT’s spokesperson, suggested Buttigieg remains undeterred by the recent bouts of criticism and “will continue to focus on getting results.”
“[W]hether that’s the successful resolution of a backlog of ships at our ports, ordering the toughest ever financial penalties for airlines over refund violations, securing new requirements for airlines to cover expenses for stranded passengers, assisting the [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation on the ground in East Palestine, and of course overseeing historic investments to improve our nation’s infrastructure,” she added.
