Buttigieg 'Not Planning on Going Anywhere'

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is getting questions about his future as White House chief of staff Ron Klain is leaving the administration and a slew of former Trump administration officials are lining up their 2024 campaigns.

"I don't have any plans to do any job besides the one I've got," Buttigieg told Punchbowl News, according to Politico, calling being the transportation secretary "the best job in the federal government."

Buttigieg declined to answer to rumors on a 2024 Democrat presidential primary or perhaps moving to Michigan to run for Senate.

Buttigieg became a rising progressive star as former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, but critics have noted that is a relatively small city to make a jump into national politics. Buttigieg failed in the 2020 Democrat primary and ultimately took the job to be President Joe Biden's transportation secretary.

But, since, America has struggled with historic supply chain woes, and airlines have been roiled by delays and controversy.

Buttigieg admitted to Punchbowl News he is not the true holder of his fate in the administration, because "every political appointee accepts that" he serves "at the pleasure of the president."

But, Buttigieg added, "for the time being" and said any decision on how long he will remain transportation secretary is "above his pay grade," according to the report.

"I love this job, and I feel like we're right in the middle of the action," Buttigieg told Punchbowl News. "I'm not planning on going anywhere because we're smack in the middle of historic work."

Being transportation secretary is "taking 110%" of Buttigieg's "attention and energy," he added, saying it is "the best job in the federal government — even if it's pretty demanding some days."

"It's a privilege to be doing the work," he told Punchbowl News. "That's what I'm going to be doing."

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