Bombshell: GOP Sen. Ted Cruz Severely Grilled Transportation Secretary Buttigieg During A Hearing Related To Multiple Transportation Disasters

On Wednesday’s GOP Senator Ted Cruz blasted Transportation Department Secretary Pete Buttigieg during the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing over a series of transportation crises the U.S. is facing.

During the hearing, the GOP Senator ordered the staffers to play an animated video clip that showed a deadly near-miss incident from February 4, at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, when a FedEx airplane, during landing, nearly collided with a Southwest passenger airplane heading towards Cancun, Mexico.   

Cruz informed Billy Nolen, the acting head of the FAA:

“If you were sitting on the Southwest flight and you knew how close you came to having a plane land on top of you, killing every person on that plane, you would understandably be horrified.” 

The Republican Senator added:

“And I would note that Secretary Buttigieg, in my view, instead of engaging in politics should be focused on the job he has now and addressing the various transportation crises we are seeing play out across the country.”

The hearing, labeled as the “Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protections,” also looked into Southwest Airlines’ meltdown from December holidays during which a large number of passengers were left stranded. 

While talking about Buttigieg’s absence from the hearing, Cruz stated:

“Notably absent from today’s meeting is Secretary Buttigieg.” 

Cruz added:

“The DOT didn’t give any mea culpa to impacted travelers. The Biden DOT didn’t issue refunds, didn’t issue reimbursements, it just screwed up their flights and then proceeded to say, ‘We want to be in charge of how the airlines behave.’”

Fox News reported that even Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell also called out Buttigieg over his incompetence.

She said:

“This sector needs a more effective policeman on the beat. They need someone over at the Department of Transportation who is going to get the job done.”