US: Biden taps ‘barrier-breaking’ Buttigieg for transportation post

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to be his transportation secretary, assigning a one-time rival an important role in fulfilling a campaign pledge to “build back better.” In a statement announcing the pick, Biden described Buttigieg as “a patriot and a problem-solver who speaks to the best of who we are as a nation,” and that he wants him to lead the Transportation Department “because this position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us. “Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all come together at the DOT, the site of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better,” Biden said. “I trust Mayor Pete to lead this work with focus, decency, and a bold vision — he will bring people together to get big things done.” Biden is scheduled to introduce Buttigieg in an event in Wilmington, Delaware on Wednesday. A former candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Buttigieg narrowly won the Iowa caucuses but endorsed Biden after dropping out of the race.<br/>