President Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, reportedly flew on a taxpayer-funded jet from Washington, DC, to New York City before returning to D.C. several hours later, according to a calendar obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT).
As Fox News reported:
On April 7, Buttigieg flew on a government jet operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., to a small executive airport near New York City, according to internal agency calendars obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT) and shared with Fox News Digital. Later that same day, Buttigieg returned to Washington, D.C., on the same jet, a Cessna Citation 560XL, to attend a White House meeting.
While in New York City, Buttigieg held a 40-minute meeting with American Civil Liberties Union president Deborah Archer and a 20-minute meeting with Department of Transportation (DOT) employees. Buttigieg also took an hour out of his schedule to conduct an interview with the hosts of The Breakfast Club radio program.
Just one day after his day trip to New York City, he traveled back to the city again, but this time on a commercial airline. During his second visit, Buttigieg attended a convention held by the Al Sharpton-founded National Action Network and appeared on The View before returning to D.C. via train later that evening.
A last-minute meeting at the White House interrupted Buttigieg’s pre-planned two-day trip to New York City, according to a DOT spokesperson. The agency spokesperson also claimed that the $228 spent on the government-funded jet was the most cost-effective transportation.
A DOT spokesperson told Fox News:
Secretary Buttigieg’s seat on the FAA aircraft on April 7 cost $228 each way. Due to a late-notice schedule change, he had to travel back to Washington for a White House meeting which fell during a previously planned two-day trip to New York. He used the department’s aircraft to travel on April 7 because this was more efficient and less expensive than a last-minute airline ticket. The next day, he flew back to New York on American Airlines to resume his planned appearances and meetings there, and then used Amtrak to return that night to Washington.
APT’s reporting on Buttigieg’s New York City trips comes days after they revealed the Transportation Secretary had used government-funded jets nearly 18 times since entering office.
APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland blasted Buttigieg for using the taxpayer-funded jet despite boasting about the country’s rail transportation and calling on Americans to reduce their carbon footprint.
Sutherland said:
As the self-described “second biggest fan of rail in the administration” only behind the President, it’s laughable Secretary Buttigieg flew private to New York City to meet with the head of a liberal dark money group instead of taking Amtrak. He clearly thinks his time is more valuable than the taxpayers, who are left not only dealing with the fallout of his travel mismanagement but are also left footing the bill for his taxpayer-funded jet. Despite admonishing the American public to reduce their carbon footprint, Buttigieg is once again prioritizing his convenience over the environment.
Energy Information Administration data from April shows that the government-funded jet would have burned an estimated $1,060 in fuel.
“When we’re making a decision about what kind of aircraft to use, we weigh a lot of things,” Buttigieg told Fox News last week. “[Climate impacts are] one of the things we consider. So is saving taxpayers money.”
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.