Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be nominated by President-Elect Joe Biden to lead the Department of Transportation, according to four people familiar with the matter who spoke with Reuters.
Biden will likely make the announcement sometime Tuesday.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo were also being considered for the role. Buttigieg, if confirmed, would be the first-ever LGBTQ Cabinet member to be approved by the Senate.
"Pete's nomination is a new milestone in a decades-long effort to ensure LGBTQ people are represented throughout our government – and its impact will reverberate well-beyond the department he will lead," said Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute.
At the Transportation Department, Buttigieg might be tasked with overseeing much of Biden's plan to dramatically boost infrastructure spending, including building 550,000 electric vehicle charging stations and boosting spending on high-speed rail and other green projects, and persuading Congress to find a way to pay for new spending.
Since 2008, Congress has transferred about $141 billion in general revenues to the Highway Trust Fund. To maintain existing spending levels, Congress will need to find $107 billion over five years, government auditors say.
Buttigieg, considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, would oversee about 55,000 employees at the department and a $90 billion budget.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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