The Department of Transportation's watchdog announced Monday it will be looking into the use of government aircraft by Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The audit, which will include looking at former Secretary Elaine Chao's use of Federal Aviation Administration jets, was requested by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in December 2022.
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"Our audit objective will be to determine whether the Office of the Secretary of Transportation complied with Federal regulations, policies, and procedures regarding executive travel on DOT aircraft. We will focus on official trips taken since January 31, 2017," the DOT's inspector general said in an announcement.
Buttigieg welcomed the audit in a tweet Monday, saying he is "glad this will be reviewed independently so misleading narratives can be put to rest."
Glad this will be reviewed independently so misleading narratives can be put to rest.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 27, 2023
Bottom line: I mostly fly on commercial flights, in economy class. And when I do use our agency’s aircraft, it’s usually a situation where doing so saves taxpayer money. https://t.co/wUtBtjx9CT
"Bottom line: I mostly fly on commercial flights, in economy class. And when I do use our agency’s aircraft, it’s usually a situation where doing so saves taxpayer money," Buttigieg continued.
He also defended himself on CNN This Morning on Tuesday, saying he flies on "commercial airlines in economy class" the majority of the time he uses air travel.
"The vast majority of the time I travel on commercial airlines in economy class, but there is a portion of the time — I'd say about 10% to 20% — when we use our agency's aircraft. This is not chartering a private jet, this a government aircraft that is assigned to the FAA," Buttigieg said.
Republican lawmakers continued to slam Buttigieg over his tenure, which has seen several high-profile blunders, in addition to the audit by the DOT's inspector general.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) decried the audit as part of "the newest episode of 'What Does It Take To Get Mayor Pete Fired,'" in a tweet Tuesday.
And today on the newest episode of “What Does It Take To Get Mayor Pete Fired?”, the DOT is investigating Pete Buttigieg's extensive private jet travel despite the fact that he argues in favor of aggressive action on “climate change”.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) February 28, 2023
"And today on the newest episode of 'What Does It Take To Get Mayor Pete Fired?', the DOT is investigating Pete Buttigieg's extensive private jet travel despite the fact that he argues in favor of aggressive action on 'climate change,'" Boebert said.
Rubio called on the inspector general to investigate Buttigieg's use of government aircraft after a December report the secretary had taken flights on taxpayer-funded private jets at least 18 times since he entered office.
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Buttigieg has faced calls to resign amid his alleged mishandling of several transportation matters, including, most recently, his slow response to the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine, which included train cars carrying toxic materials. He visited the small village in eastern Ohio last week after widespread criticism of his handling of the situation.