Breaking News: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Under Severe Pressure As 27 Democrats Demand Reforms In Racist Traffic Enforcement

More than 25 Democrats signed a letter urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to improve a regulation that they see as “racist traffic enforcement” against Black individuals.

On Thursday, 27 Democrats, along with “Squad” Reps. Cori Bush from Missouri, Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, and Jamaal Bowman from New York sent a letter to Pete Buttigieg demanding he must take action against America’s “harmful” traffic enforcement practices. 

They also argued that the Transportation Secretary should make improvements that “support the wellbeing of Black people traveling on our nation’s roads and highways.”

The group of Democrats insisted Buttigieg must allocate funding from President Joe Biden’s two-party framework law to legislate improvements that “move our nation closer to transit equity.”

The letter read:

“On our nation’s roads and highways, Black motorists have experienced disproportionate scrutiny and excessive force under the guise of traffic enforcement. As Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), we urge you to condemn the status quo of traffic enforcement and develop reforms to reduce racial inequities in traffic stops.”

In the letter, the Democrats claimed that the funds from the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, which got qualified by Congress in 2021 with limited GOP support, should be utilized for transformations in traffic enforcement, including “eliminating financial barriers to vehicle registration and upgrading traffic lights.”

The letter also noted:

“Furthermore, some states and localities, such as Virginia, Oregon, and the city of Philadelphia, have made systemic changes, moving minor traffic infractions, such as a single missing taillight or an object hanging on a rear-view mirror, away from enforcement by armed police officers. Traffic safety should not come at the expense of the dignity and safety of the Black community. The status quo of inequitable traffic enforcement is the product of racist policies, outdated infrastructure, and limited oversight.”

Buttigieg has stated in the past that he intends to address discrimination embedded in the nation’s roads, highways, and bridges. 

In November 2021, he angered conservatives by arguing that the federal government had a “moral” obligation to confront racism in the county’s infrastructure.