President-elect Biden named Buttigieg as his nominee for Secretary of Transportation in December 2020. His nomination was confirmed on February 2, 2021, by a vote of 86–13, making him the first Senate-confirmed openlyLGBTQ+ Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.[c] Nominated at age 38, he was also the youngest Cabinet member in theBiden administration and the youngest person ever to serve as Secretary of Transportation. Press reports had mentioned Buttigieg as apossible running mate forKamala Harris upon the start of her2024 presidential campaign,[9][10] though he was ultimately not selected.[11]
Early life and career
Pete Buttigieg was born on January 19, 1982, inSouth Bend, Indiana, to Jennifer "Anne" Montgomery andJoseph Anthony Buttigieg II.[12][13][14][15] He is an only child. His parents met and married while employed as faculty atNew Mexico State University.[16] His father was born inĦamrun,Malta, and emigrated to the United States to pursue his doctorate.[17][18] Buttigieg's father embarked on a career as a professor of English at theUniversity of Notre Dame near South Bend.[18][19] Buttigieg's mother also taught at the University of Notre Dame for 29 years.[20] His father, a translator of Marxist philosopherAntonio Gramsci'sPrison Notebooks and the editor of a three-volume English edition, influenced his son's decision to study literature in college.[21]
In 2000, Buttigieg was one of two students chosen to be a delegate from Indiana to theUnited States Senate Youth Program,[27] an annual scholarship competition sponsored jointly by theU.S. Senate and the Hearst Foundations.[28]In his last high-school year, Pete Buttigieg was named the school valedictorian, voted senior class president and chosen Most Likely to be U.S. President.[29]
After graduating from high school, Buttigieg attendedHarvard College, where he majored in history and literature.[30] He became president of the Student Advisory Committee of theHarvard Institute of Politics and worked on the institute's annual study of youth attitudes on politics.[31][32] His undergraduate thesis,The Quiet American's Errand into the Wilderness, examined the influence ofPuritanism on U.S. foreign policy as reflected inGraham Greene's novelThe Quiet American.[33][34] He graduatedmagna cum laude from Harvard in 2004, and was elected a member ofPhi Beta Kappa.[35][36]
Buttigieg has been involved with theTruman National Security Project since 2005 and serves as a fellow with expertise in Afghanistan and Pakistan.[53] He was named to the organization's board of advisors in 2014.[61][31]
Military service
Buttigieg joined theU.S. Navy Reserve through thedirect commission officer (DCO) program and was sworn in as anensign in naval intelligence in September 2009.[62] He took a seven-month leave during his mayoral term to deploy to Afghanistan in 2014.[63][64][65][66] While there, Buttigieg was part of a unit assigned to identify and disrupt terrorist finance networks. Part of this was done atBagram Air Base, but he was also an armed driver for his commander on more than 100 trips intoKabul, where he was tasked with watching out for ambushes and explosive devices along the roads and ensuring that the vehicle was guarded. Buttigieg has jokingly referred to this role as "militaryUber".[67] Also, while deployed in Afghanistan, Buttigieg was assigned to theAfghan Threat Finance Cell, acounterterrorism unit that targetedTaliban insurgency financing.[68][69] Buttigieg was awarded theJoint Service Commendation Medal,[70] and he left the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2017.[71][72][73]
Buttigieg ran for the Democratic nomination formayor of South Bend in 2011. In aPBS Michiana – WNIT broadcast, he expressed his desire to reinvigorate South Bend, especially with respect to job creation and education.[79] Buttigieg campaigned on other issues, such as pursuing international investment,[80] increasing presence of police and other safety professionals,[81] and improving city services.[82] Buttigieg won his primary election against four opponents on May 3, 2011, receiving 7,663 votes.[83] Buttigieg was elected mayor of South Bend in theNovember 2011 general election with 10,991 of the 14,883 votes cast, or 74 percent of all votes.[84] He defeated Republican nominee Norris W. Curry Jr. andLibertarian nominee Patrick M. Farrell.[85] Buttigieg took office in January 2012 at the age of 29, becoming the second-youngest mayor in South Bend history[e] and the youngest incumbent mayor, at the time, of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents.[84]
After a federal investigation ruled that South Bend police had illegally recorded telephone calls of several officers, Buttigieg demotedpolice chief Darryl Boykins in 2012.[87][f] Buttigieg also dismissed the department's communications director, who had discovered the recordings but continued to record the line at Boykins's command.[87] The police communications director alleged that the recordings captured four senior police officers making racist remarks and discussing illegal acts.[87][89]
Buttigieg has written that his "first serious mistake as mayor" came shortly after taking office in 2012, when he decided to ask for Boykins's resignation. Backed by supporters and legal counsel, Boykins requested reinstatement. When Buttigieg denied his request, Boykins, as the city's first African American police chief, sued the city for racial discrimination,[90] arguing that the taping policy had existed under previous police chiefs, who were white.[91] Buttigieg settled the lawsuits brought by Boykins and the four officers out of court for over $800,000.[87][92] A federal judge ruled in 2015 that Boykins's recordings violated theFederal Wiretap Act.[89] Buttigieg came under pressure from political opponents to release the eight tapes, but he said that it was not possible to release seven of them, citing the Federal Wiretap Act.[87][89] It was unclear if releasing the eighth tape would violate any laws.[89]St. Joseph County Superior Court Judge Steve Hostetler heard a case for the release of five cassette tapes.[91] Judge Hostetler ruled that the cassette tapes must be released to the South Bend City Council in May 2021.[93]
As mayor, Buttigieg promoted a number of development and redevelopment projects.[94] Buttigieg was a leading figure behind the creation of a nightly laser-light display along downtown South Bend's St.Joseph River trail as public art. The project cost $700,000, which was raised from private funds.[95] The "River Lights" installation was unveiled in May 2015 as part of the city's 150th anniversary celebrations.[87] He also oversaw the city's launching of a3-1-1 system in 2013.[96][97] Buttigieg's administration oversaw the sale of numerous city-owned properties.[98][99][100][101] One of Buttigieg's signature programs was the "Vacant and Abandoned Properties Initiative". Known locally as1,000 Properties in 1,000 Days, it was a project to repair or demolish blighted properties across South Bend.[102][103] The program reached its goal two months before its scheduled end date in November 2015.[104] By the thousandth day of the program, before Buttigieg's first term ended, nearly 40 percent of the targeted houses were repaired, and 679 were demolished or under contract for demolition.[105] Buttigieg took note of the fact that many homes within communities of color were the ones demolished, leading to early distrust between the city and these communities.[106]
While mayor, Buttigieg served for seven months in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in theU.S. Navy Reserve, returning to the United States on September 23, 2014.[107] In his absence, Deputy Mayor Mark Neal, South Bend's citycomptroller, served as executive from February 2014 until Buttigieg returned to his role as mayor in October 2014.[84][107][108]
In 2015, during the controversy overIndiana Senate Bill 101 – the original version of which was widely criticized for allowing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people – Buttigieg emerged as a leading opponent of the legislation. Amid his reelection campaign, hecame out asgay and expressed his solidarity with the LGBTQ community.[109][110]
Second term
Buttigieg announced in 2014 that he would seek a second term in2015.[111] He won theDemocratic primary with approximately 78 percent of the vote, defeating Henry Davis Jr., the city councilman from the second district.[112] In November 2015, he was elected to his second term as mayor with over 80 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Kelly Jones by a margin of 8,515 to 2,074 votes.[113] After winning reelection, Buttigieg signed an executive order helping to establish a recognizedcity identification card in 2016.[114][115]
To improve South Bend's downtown area, Buttigieg proposed a Smart Streets urban development program in 2013.[87] In early 2015 – after traffic studies and public hearings – he secured abond issue for the program backed bytax increment financing.[116][117] Smart Streets was acomplete streets implementation program[118] aimed at improving economic development and urban vibrancy as well as road safety.[119] Elements of the project were finished in 2016,[87] and the project was officially completed in 2017.[119] The project was credited with spurring private development in the city.[117]
In a new phase of the Vacant and Abandoned Properties Initiative, South Bend partnered with the Notre Dame Clinical Law Center to provide free legal assistance to qualifying applicants wishing to acquire vacant lots and, with local nonprofits, to repair or construct homes and provide low-income home ownership assistance using South BendHousing and Urban Development funds.[120][121]
Studebaker Building84 in 2014
The City of South Bend partnered with the State of Indiana and private developers to break ground on a $165-million renovation of the formerStudebaker complex in 2016, hoping that the redevelopment would facilitate industrial and housing units.[122] This development is in the Renaissance District which includes nearby Ignition Park.[123][124] In 2017, it was announced that the long-abandoned Studebaker Building84, also known asIvy Tower, would have its exterior renovated with $3.5million in Regional Cities funds from the State of Indiana and another $3.5million from South Bend tax increment financing, with plans for the building and other structures in its complex to serve as a technology hub.[125] The websiteBest Cities later ranked South Bend number 39 on its 2020 list of the 100 best small cities in theUnited States, citing Buttigieg's efforts to revitalize the Studebaker factory and Downtown South Bend.[126]
Under Buttigieg, the city also began a smart sewer program, the first phase of which was finished in 2017 at a cost of $150million.[123] The effort used federal funds[127] and by 2019 had reduced the combined sewer overflow by 75 percent.[123] The impetus for the effort was a fine that the EPA had levied against the city in 2011 forClean Water Act violations.[123] In 2019, Buttigieg asked for the city to be released from an agreement with the EPA brokered under his mayoral predecessor Steve Luecke, in which South Bend had agreed to make hundreds of millions of dollars in further improvements to its sewer system by 2031.[128]
The Common Council approved Buttigieg's request to enable his administration to develop a city climate plan in April 2019; Buttigieg signed a contract with the Chicago firm Delta Institute to help develop it.[129] In late November 2019, the city's Common Council voted 7–0 to approve the resultant Carbon Neutral 2050 plan, setting the goal of meeting the Paris Agreement's 26-percent emission reduction by 2025, and aiming for a further reductions of 45 percent by 2035.[130]
Supporting private development in South Bend was another initiative Buttigieg continued during his second term.[131][132][133][134][135] By 2019, the city had seen $374million in private investment formixed-use developments since Buttigieg had taken office, by one estimate.[136][95] By another account, Downtown South Bend saw roughly $200million in private investment during Buttigieg's tenure.[137]
In 2018, Buttigieg proposed moving the city'sSouth Shore Linestation, from the airport to downtown
Protestors marching in response to the death of Eric Logan
After a white South Bend police officer shot and killed Eric Logan, an African American man, in June 2019, Buttigieg was drawn from his presidential campaign to focus on the emerging public reaction. Police body cameras were not turned on during Logan's death.[142] Soon after Logan's death, Buttigieg presided over atown hall meeting attended by disaffected activists from the African American community as well as relatives of the deceased man. The local police union accused Buttigieg of making decisions for political gain.[143][144] Buttigieg secured $180,000 in November 2019 to commission a review of South Bend's police department policies and practices, to be conducted by Chicago-based consulting firm 21CP Solutions.[145]
Some African Americans have accused Buttigieg of racism for his response to this and other incidents. Former South Bend councilman Henry Davis Jr. alleged that Buttigieg "perpetuated and tolerated" systemic racism in the city. Michael Harriot, senior writer atThe Root, accused Buttigieg of "racist paternalism" for saying that children of color lack role models that promote the value of education. Many African Americans also point to Buttigieg's firing of Darryl Boykins, South Bend's first black chief of police. Boykins claimed that Buttigieg used a scandal—involving secret tapes of white police officers making racist comments—as a pretext for firing him.[146][147][148]
Frank Bruni ofThe New York Times published a 2016 column praising Buttigieg's work as mayor, with a headline asking if he might be "the first gay president".[153]Barack Obama cited him as one of the Democratic Party's talents in a November 2016 profile on the outgoing president conducted byThe New Yorker.[154] As Buttigieg's national profile grew following his run in the2017 Democratic National Committee chairmanship election, Buttigieg increased his out-of-city travel.[155] By early 2018, there was speculation that Buttigieg would run for either governor or president in 2020.[156][157]
For the2018 midterms, Buttigieg founded the political action committee (PAC)Hitting Home PAC.[158] That October, Buttigieg personally endorsed 21 congressional candidates.[159] He also later endorsed Mel Hall, Democratic nominee inthe 2018 election for Indiana's 2nd congressional district.[160] Buttigieg campaigned for Joe Donnelly's reelection campaign in theUnited States Senate election in Indiana.[161] Buttigieg campaigned for candidates in more than a dozen states, including early presidential primary states such asIowa andSouth Carolina, a move indicating potential interest in running for president.[159] He officially announced his run on January 23, 2019.[162]
Succession as mayor
Buttigieg announced that he would not seek a third term as mayor of South Bend in December 2018.[163] Buttigieg endorsedJames Mueller in the2019 South Bend mayoral election.[164][165] Mueller was a high-school classmate of Buttigieg's and his mayoral chief of staff, and later executive director of the South Bend Department of Community Investment.[164] Mueller's campaign promised to continue the progress that had been made under Buttigieg's mayoralty.[166] Buttigieg appeared in campaign advertisements for Mueller and donated to Mueller's campaign.[167] Mueller won the May 2019Democratic primary with 37 percent of the vote in a crowded field.[168][164][169] In the November 2019 general election, Mueller defeated Republican nominee Sean M. Haas with 63 percent of the vote.[170][171] Mueller took office onNew Year's Day 2020.[14]
FormerU.S. Secretary of LaborTom Perez andU.S. representativeKeith Ellison quickly emerged as the favored candidates of a majority of DNC members. Buttigieg withdrew from the race on the day of the election without endorsing a candidate, and Perez was elected chairman after two rounds of voting.[173]
On January 23, 2019, Buttigieg announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to run forPresident of the United States in the upcoming2020 election.[176] Buttigieg sought the Democratic Party nomination for president.[177][178] If he had been elected, he would have been the youngest and first openly gay American president.[176] Amid the start of Buttigieg's presidential effort, on February 12, 2019, he published his debut book,autobiographyShortest Way Home.[179] Two months later, Buttigieg officially launched his campaign on April 14, 2019, in South Bend.[180][181]
Initially regarded as a long-shot candidate,[184][185][186] Buttigieg rose into the top-tier of candidates in the primary by December 2019.[187] In early February 2020, Buttigieg led the2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses results with 26.2 percent toBernie Sanders' 26.1 percent, winning 14 delegates to Sanders's 12.[188][189] TheLGBTQ Victory Fund, Buttigieg's first national endorsement,[g] noted the historical first of an openly gay candidate winning a state presidential primary.[190] Buttigieg finished second behind Sanders in theNew Hampshire primary.[5] After placing fourth in theSouth Carolina primary with 8.2 percent of the vote, behindJoe Biden (48.7 percent), Bernie Sanders (19.8 percent), andTom Steyer (11.3 percent), Buttigieg dropped out of the race on March 1, 2020, and endorsed Biden.[191][192]
A 2023 study bypolitical scientists fromLoyola Marymount University reported how different aspects of Buttigieg's biography affected voters' views on his electability as a US President. The authors concluded, that "His military background... successfully countered voter discrimination, suggesting that some gay candidates may close the gap once voters learn more about their story."[8]
Buttigieg acted as a surrogate for Biden's campaign in the general election.[197][198] He delivered a speech on the closing night of the2020 Democratic National Convention,[199] and also announced Indiana's votes during the convention's roll call.[200] On September 5, 2020, Buttigieg was announced to be a member of the advisory council of the Biden-Harris Transition Team that was planning thepresidential transition of Joe Biden.[201][202] Ahead ofthe vice presidential debate, Buttigieg played the role as a stand-in for Republican vice presidentMike Pence to prepare vice-presidential nomineeKamala Harris. Buttigieg was selected to perform this role because of his experience working with Pence during their simultaneous tenures as mayor of South Bend andgovernor of Indiana, respectively.[203]
Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025)
Vice PresidentKamala Harris swears in Buttigieg as Transportation secretary on February 3, 2021
Nomination and confirmation
Following the end of his presidential campaign, Buttigieg was considered a possible Cabinet appointee in Joe Biden's administration.[204][205] After Biden was declared the winner of the election on November 7, 2020, Buttigieg was again mentioned as a possible nominee forSecretary of Veterans Affairs,Ambassador to the United Nations,Ambassador to China orSecretary of Transportation.[206] On December 15, 2020, Biden announced that he would nominate Buttigieg as his Secretary of Transportation.[207][208][209] TheSenate Commerce Committee advanced Buttigieg's nomination to the full Senate with a vote of 21–3.[210] Buttigieg was confirmed on February 2, 2021, with a vote of 86–13,[211] and was sworn in the next morning.[212]
As Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg worked on re-organizing the department's internal policy structure, including carrying out a thorough review process of rules enacted under theTrump administration.[213][214] For example, Buttigieg reinstated anObama-era pilot program which ensures local hiring forpublic works projects on May 19, 2021, with the goal of helping minorities and disadvantaged individuals. This program had been revoked in 2017 during the Trump administration, when the Department of Transportation returned to rules established during theReagan administration, which banned geographic-based hiring preferences.[215]
Buttigieg addressed the African American Mayors Association in late February 2021 to discuss systemic racism. He argued that misguided investments in the federal transport and infrastructure policy had contributed to racial inequity.[216] In early March 2021,Politico noted that Buttigieg had mentionedracial equity in almost every interview he gave to the press as it related to his work at thedepartment.[217] In late June 2022, Buttigieg launched a $1 billion Reconnecting Communities pilot program to establish racial equity in roads.[218] Using money from theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the program aims to reconnect cities and neighborhoods divided by roads through projects such as rapid bus lines, pedestrian walkways, and planning studies.[219]
After the 2021 birth of his twins, Buttigieg took aparental leave. This became a point of prominent criticism and ridicule from conservative and Republican figures. Some political analysts have notedhomophobic tones to the attacks on Buttigieg's decision to take a parental leave.[220] After conservatives criticized him for taking a paternity leave, Buttigieg declared that he would not apologize for "taking care of my premature newborn infant twins. The work that we are doing is joyful, fulfilling, wonderful work."[221] According to his department, Buttigieg had been on paid leave since mid-August 2021, where for a month he was "mostly offline except for major agency decisions and matters that could not be delegated", and he "has been ramping up activities since then", making many media appearances in early October 2021.[222] The White House had approved Buttigieg's leave.[221]
After passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,Insider called Buttigieg "the most powerful transportation secretary ever", as the department now has $210 billion of discretionary grants to award.[223]
President Biden named him to the White House Competition Council, which coordinated policies to promote economic competition.[224]
After serious issues that had occurred in United States passenger aviation in 2022 such asSouthwest Airlines' holiday meltdown, Buttigieg faced criticism for not taking enough action to penalize negligent airlines.[225] Buttigieg subsequently directed the Department of Transportation to address monopolization and consumer rights in the industry.[224] President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg launched flightrights.gov, an airline customer service dashboard that informs airline customers of the compensation they are entitled to after flight cancellations or delays.[226] He also created a chief competition officer position in the department. In March 2023, Buttigieg opposed the proposed merger ofSpirit Airlines andFrontier Airlines as anticompetitive.[224]
In December 2023, the Department of Transportation imposed a record fine of $140 million onSouthwest Airlines for mass violations ofconsumer protection laws in 2022 when the company cancelled flights and left more than 2 million passengers stranded.[227] On October 30, 2024, Buttigieg announced that a rule had taken effect requiring airlines to automatically provide refunds to passengers whose flights are canceled and do not accept another flight, as well as if paid services are not provided.[228]
Buttigieg supports The Junk Fee Prevention Act. If enacted on the federal level it would lower fees relating to spending money on some forms of entertainment, hotel rooms, airport related services, and travel.[226]
Infrastructure
Buttigieg informed Congress in late March 2021 that the Biden administration was planning to prioritize the construction of theGateway Rail Tunnel Project due to its economic significance.[229] The progress of the project, which was stalled byPresident Trump,[230] was said to be moving faster, according to Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer. Buttigieg announced theenvironmental impact assessment of the project—which was largely seen as a sign of major progress on the project.[231] Also, Buttigieg has served as a promoter of theAmerican Jobs Plan[232] and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[233]
Other actions
Early into his tenure, Buttigieg noted that the United States's actions surroundingroad traffic safety are lacking and suggested improving the design of roads. Also, while acknowledging how the United States fell behind otherdeveloped countries with respect to bicycle and pedestrian safety, Buttigieg encouraged greater focus on human behavior in infrastructure policy.[234][235] Likewise, in March 2021, Buttigieg indicated he was open totolls onInterstate 80, but not the tollage of bridges, suggesting "big picture solutions" instead, likea mileage tax.[236][237] However, the Biden administration did not include a gas tax or mileage tax in theinfrastructure plan it released that month.[238]
In June 2021, the White House created a task force to address supply chain disruptions, with Buttigieg as one of its leaders.[239] By October 2021, global supply bottlenecks had resulted in record shortages of household goods for American consumers. Buttigieg cited high demand and the pandemic as some of the causes for the disruptions, while predicting that the disruptions would "continue into next year".[240][241]
On February 3, 2023, a freight train carryingvinyl chloride,butyl acrylate,ethylhexyl acrylate andethylene glycol monobutyl ether derailed along theNorfolk Southern Railway inEast Palestine, Ohio. At the request of state officials, emergency crews conducted acontrolled burn of the spill, releasinghydrogen chloride andphosgene into the air. As a result, residents within a 1-mi (1.6-km) radius were evacuated. Buttigiegtweeted on February 13 the Department would "use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and continue to support safety."[242] On February 23, 2023,NTSB released a preliminary report stating that the wheel bearings overheated, with temperatures as high as 253 °F (141 °C) above the ambient temperature.[243] In the weeks following the derailment, the Transportation Department, under Buttigieg, did not move to reinstate the 2015 rail safety rule aimed at expanding the use of better braking technology, which the Trump administration had revoked. Buttigieg's Transportation Department was contemplating stripping down brake safety rules even further.[244] Buttigieg has faced some criticism from figures on different ends of the political spectrum for his response to the derailment, receiving criticism from Democrats such asNina Turner andIlhan Omar and Republicans such asJD Vance andAnna Paulina Luna.[245] Former president Donald Trump also criticized Buttigieg for not having yet visited the site while conducting a visit of his own.[246] In March 2023, Buttigieg appeared on CNN, telling the cable news network that he had failed to anticipate the fallout from the derailment and erred in not visiting East Palestine sooner.[247][248]
In March 2025, Buttigieg opted not to run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2026, with sources saying that he was instead mulling a run for president in2028.[252]
Although Buttigieg signaled friendliness toward corporations during his 2020 presidential campaign, his tenure as Transportation Secretary was marked by a notably aggressive stance onairlines,corporate consolidation andantitrust enforcement. He earned praise from antitrust advocates like formerFTC ChairLina Khan and SenatorElizabeth Warren, who viewed him as a reliable partner in promotingcompetition.[253]
Infrastructure
During his 2020 campaign for theDemocratic nomination, Buttigieg proposed spending $1trillion on U.S. infrastructure projects over the next ten years, estimating that the plan would create at least six million jobs. The plan focused ongreen energy, protecting tap water from lead, fixing roads and bridges, improving public transportation, repairing schools, guaranteeing broadband internet access, and preparing communities for floods and other natural disasters.[254][255][256]
Social issues
Buttigieg supportsabortion rights[257][258] and the repeal of theHyde Amendment, which blocks federal funding for abortion services except in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger.[259] He favors amending civil rights legislation, including theFederal Equality Act, so that LGBT Americans receive federal non-discrimination protections.[260]
Buttigieg supports expanding opportunities fornational service, including a voluntary year of national service for those turning 18 years old.[261][262][263]
In July 2019, Buttigieg shared his "Douglass Plan", named afterabolitionistFrederick Douglass, to address systemic racism in America.[264] The initiative would allocate $10billion toAfrican American entrepreneurship over five years; grant $25billion tohistorically black colleges; legalize marijuana; expunge drug convictions; halve the federal prison population; and propose a federal New Voting Rights Act designed to increase voting access.[265][264]
Buttigieg supports abolishing the death penalty,[266] moving toward reversing criminal sentences for minor drug-related offenses,[267] and eliminating incarceration for drug possession offenses.[268]
In 2019, Buttigieg called for the United States to decriminalize mental illness and addiction via initiatives such asre-entry programs.[269] Also, he aspired to decrease incarceration rates because of mental illnesses or substance use by 75 percent during his first term as President of the United States.[270][269]
Buttigieg supports aconstitutional amendment on campaign finance to reduce the undue influence of money in politics.[273] During his 2020 presidential run, in response to accusation of campaign finance concerns, Buttigieg's campaign toldNewsweek that he did not accept contributions from individuals and organizations such as corporatepolitical action committees.[274] In addition, Buttigieg's campaign emphasized that Buttigieg had included critical campaign finance reforms as part of his campaign platform, including pushing to overturnCitizens United andBuckley v. Valeo.[274]
Buttigieg speaking at the 2019 Iowa Federation of Labor Convention
Buttigieg identifies as ademocratic capitalist and has decriedcrony capitalism.[279] He has entertained the possibility of antitrust actions against large technology companies on the basis of privacy and data security concerns.[280] During theDemocratic primary, he supported deficit and debt reduction, arguing that large debt makes it harder to invest in infrastructure, health and safety.[281]
Workers' rights
In July 2019, he released a plan to strengthen union bargaining power, to raise theminimum wage to $15, and to offer national paid family leave.[282]
Education
Buttigieg speaking to the Iowa State Education Association in 2020
Buttigieg's education plan includes a $700-billion investment in universal full-day child care and pre-kindergarten for all children from infancy to age five.[283] Buttigieg has also proposed triplingTitle I funding for schools serving students predominately from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.[284] Other goals include doubling the number of new teachers of color in the next 10 years; addressing school segregation with a $500-million fund; paying teachers more; expanding mental health services in schools; and creating more after-school programs and summer learning opportunities.[283]
His plan for debt-free college has called for expanding Pell Grants for low-income students, as well as other investments and reversing Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy.[285] Under Buttigieg's college plan, the bottom 80 percent of students with respect to income would have received free education, while the top 20 percent would have paid for at least some portion of their tuition.[286] Buttigieg has opposed free college tuition for all students because he has believed universally free tuition unfairly subsidizes higher-income families at the expense of lower-income individuals who do not attend college.[287] This position distinguished Buttigieg from his competitors in the 2020 presidential election.[287]
Buttigieg called for modifying the structure of defense spending,[288] while suggesting that he might favor an overall increase in defense spending.[289]
In 2008, Buttigieg wrote an op-ed inThe New York Times calling on the United States to support thede facto independentRepublic of Somaliland.[295]
In June 2019, Buttigieg said: "We will remain open to working with a regime like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the benefit of the American people. But we can no longer sell out our deepest values for the sake of fossil fuel access and lucrative business deals."[296] He supports ending U.S. support for Saudi Arabia inSaudi Arabia's war in Yemen.[297]
In 2018, Buttigieg said he favoredMedicare for All.[300] During his presidential campaign, Buttigieg has promotedMedicare for All Who Want It, which includes apublic option for health insurance.[301][302][303] He has spoken favorably of Maryland'sall-payer rate setting.[304] Buttigieg has described Medicare for All Who Want It as inclusive, more efficient than the current system, and a possible precursor or "glide path" tosingle-payer health insurance.[304][303] He also favors a partial expansion of Medicare that would allow Americans ages 50 to 64 to buy intoMedicare, and supports proposed legislation, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, that would "create a fund to guarantee up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers to care for newborn children or family members with serious illnesses."[305]
In August 2019, Buttigieg released a $300billion plan to expand mental health care services and fight addiction.[306][269]
In January 2019, Buttigieg toldCBS News that Trump had been "reckless" in sending American troops to theSouthern border, calling the decision "a measure of last resort".[308]
Through his mother, he is the 4th great-grandson of 19th-century U.S. CongressmanWilliam Marshall Inge, who represented Tennessee's 10th District.[citation needed]
Buttigieg came out as gay in a June 2015 piece in theSouth Bend Tribune,[109] becoming Indiana's first openly gay elected executive.[317][318][319] He was the first elected official in Indiana to come out while in office[320] and the highest elected official in Indiana to come out.[319]
Buttigieg announced his engagement toChasten Glezman, a junior high school teacher, in a December 14, 2017,Facebook post.[321][322] They had been dating since August 2015 after meeting on the dating appHinge.[19][323] They were married on June 16, 2018, in a private ceremony at the Cathedral of St.James.[324][309] This made Buttigieg the first mayor of South Bend to get married while in office.[325] Chasten uses the surname Buttigieg.[326]
Buttigieg announced on August 17, 2021, that he and his husband had become parents.[327][328] He elaborated on September 4, 2021, that they had adopted two newbornfraternal twins.[329][330][331]
Buttigieg was a 2015 recipient of the Fenn Award, given by theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library in recognition of his work as mayor.[334] To mark the50th anniversary of theStonewall riots in June 2019,Queerty named him one of its "Pride50" people—"trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towardsequality, acceptance and dignity for allqueer people".[335] At the Golden Heart Awards, run by God's Love We Deliver, Buttigieg was awarded the "Golden Heart Award for Outstanding Leadership and Public Service" in October 2019.[336]Equality California, an LGBT-rights organization, gave Buttigieg and his husband Chasten their Equality Trailblazer Award in August 2020.[337]Attitude, a British gay lifestyle magazine, named Buttigieg their 2020 Person of the Year to recognize his groundbreaking run for the presidency.[338] In August 2024, Buttgieg was inducted by theLGBTQ Victory Fund into the LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame.[339][340]
^"Interview: Peter Buttigieg". Princeton University, Innovations for Successful Societies. July 16, 2018.Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
^"Regional and Global Connections".Pete Buttigieg for South Bend Mayor. 2011. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. RetrievedAugust 22, 2021.
^"Safe Neighborhoods".Pete Buttigieg for South Bend Mayor. 2011. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. RetrievedAugust 22, 2021.
^"A City that Works for You".Pete Buttigieg for South Bend Mayor. 2011. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. RetrievedAugust 22, 2021.
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