Pete Buttigieg, winding down his role as transportation secretary, returned to his hometown Wednesday to tout how it’s benefitting from Biden Administration initiatives. At the end of the day Buttigieg agreed to talk with me as he rode the South Shore from South Bend to Chicago.
The trip is faster now that federal money has paid to separate freight rails in northwest Indiana from the South Shore rails. Buttigieg had started fighting for that money as mayor, and he saw it through as transportation secretary.
Since it was officially a Department of Transportation trip, the Hatch Act prohibited Buttigieg from talking much about politics or the recent elections.
I started by asking Buttigieg why he wanted to do the trip to his hometown.
“I thought it was important to, first of all, congratulate the city on the continued growth and success that's happened here, but also to connect some of the dots,” Buttigieg said. “You know, dozens of the projects that union workers I met this morning are part of are happening because of the infrastructure bill. So much of the technology work, at a moment when we see the Amazon facility taking root here, have been supported by the Chips and Science Act. Things like the enormous GM factory producing EV battery inputs is something that would not have happened, I think, without the Inflation Reduction Act.
And so to see investment happening at a level that is literally a multiple of anything that has happened in our lives in this community, and to know that that's connected to the work of the Biden-Harris administration, was a message I thought it was important to offer while I was in this job.”
Q: Why do you think the electorate didn't give President Biden credit for all of that progress that you're talking about?
A: Well, I think a lot of things all hit at the same time. And also a lot of the work that we're doing plays out over a long time. Right? Most of the factories and data centers were always planned to come online in 2026 or 2027. They don't revolve around a political cycle. Same for a lot of our infrastructure work.
Q: Compare your expectations going in to the reality that you experienced in the job.
A: Well, going in, we were in crisis mode from day one because of Covid. America was facing the most complex and intense set of transportation disruptions since 9/11. Supply chains. The airline sector needing to be rescued. So many things that we were facing and that we had to do just to get the country back to some kind of normal, but also normal wasn't good enough. And that's where we knew we had to have a major infrastructure investment. President Trump had promised and failed to deliver one back when I was mayor. I knew that America couldn't take yet another broken promise from Washington around infrastructure.
Q: Are there any upcoming projects that this community can be excited about, infrastructure-wise?
A: Well, of course, one that just got completed is the South Shore here, and I'm excited to see what comes of the move to bring it to the west side of the airport and shave another 15 minutes or so off that commute to Chicago. I think that's transformative, and I'm really impressed to see the continued growth at the airport. Nonstop flights to Washington, D.C., would have loved to have that happen back when I was mayor.
Q: Earlier today, you spoke of bringing Amtrak to the Union Station downtown. A lot of people are excited about that, but Norfolk Southern has to agree to that. Are you optimistic that they will do that?
A: So without knowing all of the specifics of the negotiation that's going on, what I'll say is that the freight railroads have not always been as responsive as communities would hope, but a lot of good work has happened to get things done when there's a good outcome to be had. And I'm happy to do my part to help encourage that.
Q: You do plan to try to get involved, to help persuade Norfolk Southern on that?
A: Well, again, I don't know all of the details and I haven't been approached because largely this is a conversation with Amtrak, which which is separate. But of course, I would like to see progress happen toward that and support the mayor's vision.
Q: What's next for your career?
A: Well, I haven't made any decisions. The one thing I'm sure of is that there's going to be more time with Chasten and the kids. The twins are three years old now, and they're old enough to notice and to care when I'm gone. So I'm excited to be home much more after January 20. Past that, I really, honestly don't know. I know what I care about. I care a lot about continued economic growth, job creation, and innovation in the industrial Midwest, places like where I grew up and like Michigan, where I live now. I care a lot about our democracy and where it's headed and how to build trust in our society. But in terms of exactly what it will mean to work on those things that I care about, I'm going to take a little time before making any decisions.
