Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Paid Leave Since Mid-August amid Supply Crisis

As cargo ships congested at U.S. ports, creating an unprecedented supply-chain crisis, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was on paid leave to spend time with his husband, Chasten, and their two newborn babies.

After weeks of people questioning Buttigieg’s whereabouts as crisis after crisis mounted, Politico’s West Wing Playbook confirmed on Thursday that the transportation secretary was “lying low.”

“They didn’t previously announce it, but Buttigieg’s office told West Wing Playbook that the secretary has actually been on paid leave since mid-August to spend time with his husband, Chasten, and their two newborn babies,” Playbook reported.

They didn’t previously announce it, but Buttigieg’s office told West Wing Playbook that the secretary has actually been on paid leave since mid-August to spend time with his husband, Chasten, and their two newborn babies.
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— Matthew Kaminski (@KaminskiMK) October 15, 2021

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation confirmed that Buttigieg was “mostly offline” throughout this tumultuous time period.

“For the first four weeks, he was mostly offline except for major agency decisions and matters that could not be delegated,” said the spokesperson. “He has been ramping up activities since then.” – READ MORE