Watchdog to Probe Buttigieg’s Use of Government Aircraft

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg listens to a question during a press conference following a tour of a Southside transportation hub in Chicago, Ill., on July 16, 2021. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is facing an audit by its internal watchdog following reports about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of government aircraft.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a memo (pdf) on Monday that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), citing news reports, requested the audit to determine whether Buttigieg’s use of government aircraft “complied with all applicable federal regulations” and DOT policies and procedures.

According to the memo, the OIG will conduct its audit at DOT headquarters and other sites as needed, focusing on official trips taken since Jan. 31, 2017.

The watchdog said the audit also aims to minimize cost and improve the management and use of government aviation resources and that it will begin “shortly.”

Buttigieg, who has pushed for policies to end using the same fossil fuels used to power government jets, has faced criticism over his use of such aircraft, which, according to a 2021 report from the group Transport and Environment, are “10 times more carbon intensive than airliners on average, and 50 times more polluting than trains.”

The transportation secretary responded on Twitter, welcoming the review and emphasizing that his use of government aircraft was mostly for official purposes and to save taxpayer money.

“Glad this will be reviewed independently so misleading narratives can be put to rest. Bottom line: I mostly fly on commercial flights, in economy class. And when I do use our agency’s aircraft, it’s usually a situation where doing so saves taxpayer money,” Buttigieg wrote.

According to the memo, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates and maintains a fleet of aircraft on behalf of the DOT, which are used for various purposes, including transporting senior executives from both DOT and FAA.

The Office of Management and Budget’s guidance allows executive department heads to travel on government aircraft, but there are restrictions.

The guidance states that government aircraft can only be used for official travel or on a space-available basis, subject to certain policies and authorizations. According to the memo, this applies to all government-owned, leased, chartered, and rental aircraft and related services operated by executive agencies.

Rubio, Grassley Letters

On Dec. 16, 2022, Rubio called for the watchdog review after Fox News reported on Buttigieg’s use of taxpayer-funded private jets in the United States and internationally “at least 18 different times since taking office.”

The total cost of Buttigieg’s flights is unknown, but according to The Washington Post, the FAA charged federal agencies $5,000 per hour to use its aircraft.

“If these reports are confirmed, it would represent yet another troubling example of this administration’s continued willingness to skirt basic ethics rules,” Rubio wrote (pdf)

The Fox News report cited flight tracking data obtained by independent watchdog group Americans for Public Trust.

The Republican senator asked that the review specifically examine Buttigieg’s travel expenses and the purpose of the trips. He also requested the review assess if DOT monitored executive travel and if personnel raised concerns about Buttigieg’s use of private flights.

Rubio emphasized that taxpayers deserve accountability for government spending.

On Jan. 24, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) questioned the cost-effectiveness of Buttigieg’s use of private jets to attend meetings in “what some describe as a list of presidential swing states” and for a radio interview in New York.

Grassley noted that two of the meetings, one with the president of the American Civil Liberties Union and another with DOT employees, were “brief.” The purpose of this travel was revealed via a Freedom of Information request obtained by Americans for Public Trust.

“It is difficult to see how these trips, and perhaps others, required use of expensive non-commercial travel. For example, many commercial travel options exist between Washington and New York,” Grassley wrote (pdf).

“Moreover, radio interviews presumably can be done by calling in to the program,” he continued. “Brief meetings with people you could have met with in Washington, or picked up a phone to talk to, create questions about whether you really required the use of a private jet, especially as you call on Americans to sacrifice to reduce carbon emissions.”

A DOT spokesperson said the department welcomes the audit.

“We welcome this independent audit moving forward in order to put some of the false, outlandish, and cynical claims about the Secretary’s mode of travel to rest,“ the spokesperson said in comments obtained by The Hill. ”The fact remains that he flies commercially the vast majority of the time.”

The spokesperson added that the only exception had been when DOT ethics officials determined it would be “more cost effective” or appropriate to use a 9-seat FAA plane due to “exceptional scheduling or security reasons.”

The unnamed DOT ethics officials have served under both Democrat and Republican administrations, the spokesperson noted.

The Epoch Times contacted the DOT for further comment.