Report: Pete Buttigieg on Vacation in Europe amid Potential Rail Workers Strike Jordan Dixon-Hamilton 14 Dec 2022
President Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, was on a paid vacation in Porto, Portugal, in September amid tense rail labor negotiations that almost resulted in a strike, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Buttigieg left for his European vacation on August 29 and returned one week later on Labor Day, September 5. However, as the Free Beacon noted, Buttigieg’s trip occurred just one week before Amtrak “began canceling all long-distance trips in preparation of a potentially catastrophic rail strike.”
While Buttigieg was on vacation, he uploaded a video of himself to Twitter speaking from a U.S. airport on September 1, giving the appearance as if he were traveling within the United States. “If you’re traveling this weekend or anytime, know that our department has your back,” Buttigieg said in the video.
If rail workers went on strike, it would have cost the U.S. economy more than $2 billion per day, according to an Association of American Railroads report.
Biden’s White House and Buttigieg ultimately failed to secure multiple paid sick leave days for rail workers, which upset multiple rail worker unions.
The Department of Transportation defended Buttigieg’s trip amid the high-stakes negotiations, telling the Free Beacon that his week-long Labor Day vacation was a “long-planned personal trip.”
A Transportation Department spokeswoman said Buttigieg “remained available and engaged” from Porto, Portugal, a town known for its wine production.
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/12/14/report-pete-buttigieg-on-vacation-in-europe-amid-potential-rail-workers-strike/
