Laurence J. Peter is credited with creating a management concept that bears his name: “The Peter Principle.” Simply stated, it posits that people tend to be promoted to a level above their competence. Exhibit “A,” at least for the moment, is the coincidentally named former Transportation Secretary Peter (aka: Mayor Pete) Buttigieg.
Buttigieg’s tenure was marred by missteps, and, unfortunately, some catastrophes. Even a quick look back at his time as secretary calls to mind some of the largest transportation mishaps in recent memory: the East Palestine train derailment, a too-close-for-comfort rail union near-strike, and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system failure that caused the biggest U.S. aviation shutdown since 9/11. It’s indisputable that every administration faces roadblocks and hiccups, but Buttigieg’s time as secretary was filled with avoidable slip-ups that had tangibly negative consequences for Americans, and far too little attention to the obvious responsibilities of the transportation secretary.
For example, in September 2022, rail worker negotiations took a dire turn when Amtrak began canceling long-distance tickets as the company geared up for what would have been a crippling strike. Meanwhile, then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the top authority on this type of situation, jetted off for a vacation to Portugal during a looming transportation and economic disaster. Thankfully, Congress stepped in to prevent a strike, but no thanks for avoiding this potential major disruption should be given to Buttigieg. Perhaps Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took some “management tips” from Pete? (RELATED: A Well-Deserved Takedown of the California Political Class — From Newsom to Bass)
Being AWOL during serious crises that are central concerns of the major government department he was ostensibly running appears to have been a pattern. On Feb. 3, 2023, a train carrying 20 carloads of hazardous material, including vinyl chloride, phosgene, and hydrogen chloride, derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. Eleven of those 20 cars were among the 38 that came off the tracks, resulting in an enormous fire that caused an environmental disaster and a severe public health emergency — severe enough that the area was evacuated shortly after the incident.
This happened on Feb. 3. Not a peep was heard from the secretary of transportation until the 13th, fully 10 days later, and it was nearly three weeks before Buttigieg bothered to visit the site.
Don’t forget the FAA system outage that wreaked havoc on Americans’ travel plans. In January 2023, a nationwide outage grounded or delayed thousands of flights. This outage called into question not only the technology but also the department’s overall readiness and management of critical systems and was ultimately blamed on personnel incompetence.
But these weren’t Buttigieg’s only failures from the past few years. The Southwest Airlines flight cancellation fiasco of 2022 severely disrupted thousands of travelers’ plans; at the time, Trump’s now transportation secretary nominee, Sean Duffy, claimed Buttigieg ignored the problem and failed to take heed of warning signs that led to this kind of debacle. Documents also show that Buttigieg, despite claims he was available “24/7” during his paternity leave, avoided calls and public appearances during that time.
As with virtually everything connected with the Biden administration, Buttigieg left a big mess for his successor to clean up. Recent air travel disasters have raised more alarming questions about staffing shortages, working conditions, training, and hiring criteria at the FAA. The most recent data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows that across all airport towers and terminal approach facilities nationwide, only about 70 percent of staffing targets were filled by fully certified controllers as of September 2023. (RELATED: The Collision of Ideals After the DC Plane Crash: Why DEI Policies Threaten Our Safety)
Regardless of the hundreds of billions of dollars Biden and Buttigieg claimed were going to “shovel ready” infrastructure improvements, the most currently available data shows 43 percent of our public roadways in poor or mediocre condition, and over 42,000 bridges are rated “poor” — 80 percent have problems with their substructures (the legs holding them up) or their superstructures (the arms supporting their load).
The sheer number of problems, missteps, and disasters that occurred under Mayor Pete’s watch at the Department of Transportation defy any suggestion that they were simply coincidences. While we have now come out on the other side, Buttigieg’s political aspirations apparently have not been encumbered by these repeated failures. As he returns to Michigan, he is now possibly looking to run for governor; and if those prospects don’t look good enough he is also reportedly considering a run for the recently vacated Senate seat from that state. Either of which would be a warm-up act for the dream job the self-absorbed Mayor Pete fancies is his rightful destiny: POTUS. (RELATED: Battleground Michigan Is Up for Grabs Again in 2026)
Buttigieg seemed an ill-qualified, less-than-obvious choice for transportation secretary when he was chosen by President Biden. His tenure as the head of the Department of Transportation proved those suspicions were unfortunately well founded. Now, however, he is hoping that the memories of voters will be short enough to rehabilitate his reputation and fuel his blind political ambitions. Michiganders would do themselves and all of America a favor by keeping his shortcomings as transportation secretary top of mind as we enter into a new election cycle.
READ MORE:
Battleground Michigan Is Up for Grabs Again in 2026
Biden, Buttigieg, and Bullet Trains
Mayor Pete and the Myth of the ‘Racist Highway’
Bob Beauprez represented Colorado’s 7th District in the United States Congress from 2003-2007, where he served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Highways and Aviation Subcommittees.