Pete Buttigieg becomes 1st openly gay person confirmed to Cabinet seat


Pete Buttigieg was confirmed Tuesday to lead President Biden's Transportation Department.
In an 86-13 vote, the Senate confirmed the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 candidate to lead the DOT. The overwhelming vote marks the first time an openly gay person has been confirmed by the Senate to any Cabinet-level department. Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell was previously the first openly gay person to serve at a Cabinet-level, serving for four months last year without Senate confirmation.
In his confirmation hearings, Buttigieg signaled support for enforcing mask mandates on public forms of transportation. He also affirmed climate change would be a "central feature" in any Biden administration infrastructure packages, and noted that "misguided policies and missed opportunities in transportation can reinforce racial and economic inequality."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Buttigieg's confirmation received congratulations from both sides of the aisle, including from former Democratic primary rival Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
Several other Biden Cabinet nominees have been confirmed in the past two weeks, includes Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The Senate will also vote on the confirmation of Homeland Security Secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday. He is expected to be confirmed.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Quiz of The Week: 23 – 29 August
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Could robotic dogs help clear landmines?
Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses?
-
Six major costs to cut as children go back to school
School supplies can be pricey but there are ways to keep costs down
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other cities
speed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore