President-elect Joe Biden has selected former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) to head the Department of Transportation (DOT), several media outlets reported Tuesday.
Reuters reporters Jarrett Renshaw and David Shepardson broke the news.
If confirmed, Buttigieg will be directly involved with Biden’s plan to spend trillions to rebuild U.S. infrastructure and to invest in clean energy.
The former South Bend Mayor was previously a McKinsey consultant and also served in the Navy reserves.
An openly gay man, Buttigieg’s selection will likely please activists who want to see more diversity in Biden’s cabinet.
But Buttigieg faces a tough confirmation fight among Senate Republicans.
Buttigieg repeatedly attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during the Democrat primary and even after Biden won the nomination.
Former Buttigieg staffer Hari Sevugan also helped promote a blacklist of former Trump administration officials who were looking for work, which enraged Senate Republicans.
The Trump Accountability Project website was ultimately shut down after Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) vocally criticized the effort.
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