Transportation secretary Buttigieg mostly absent amid supply chain crisis

WASHINGTON (TND) — U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been missing in action amid an ongoing supply chain crisis.

The former mayor has been on paid leave for roughly the last two months to spend time with his husband and their two recently adopted newborn babies, Buttigieg’s office reportedly told Politico.

For the first four weeks, he was mostly offline except for major agency decisions and matters that could not be delegated,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation Politico reported.

The spokesperson added that Buttigieg “has been ramping up activities since then,” but will “continue to take some time over the coming weeks to support his husband and take care of his new children.”

Buttigieg’s absence did not go unnoticed over the last two months. Fox News reported on Oct. 4 that the transportation secretary had “been uncharacteristically quiet over congested ports across the U.S.”

Following the criticism, Buttigieg has made a few appearances including his attendance of a meeting with President Joe Biden this week to discuss supply chain congestion, Politico reported.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., reportedly slammed Buttigieg after the news came out that he was on paid leave in the midst of the current supply chain problems. “We’re in the middle of a transportation crisis, and Pete Buttigieg is sitting at home. Meanwhile, cargo boats are unable to dock and shelves are sitting empty,” the senator told Breitbart News.

Blackburn said that it was time for Buttigieg “to put American families first,” and he “needs to either get back to work or leave the Department.”

Family leave has been a hot issue recently with House and Senate Democrats reportedly at odds over how much money to add to their reconciliation package to fund universal paid family leave for Americans.

Previously Cabinet officials seemed to feel pressured to return to work sooner rather than later. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro reportedly only took a “week or so” of leave after his child was born, according to Politico.