Ten Republican members of the House voted with the Democrats to kill a bill that would have required Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to disclose his use of government aircraft.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) proposed an amendment to FAA renewal legislation, but it was narrowly defeated by a 219-216 vote on Wednesday night. On the roll call, 10 Republicans opposed the amendment, while 3 Democrats supported it.
Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of the watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT), expressed her group’s disappointment that Representative Miller’s crucial amendment was defeated. In a coverup of Secretary Buttigieg’s inappropriate use of a taxpayer-funded private plane, his agency refuses to disclose the actual cost of these flights.
She said, “That is why we are suing the FAA; the American people have a right to these records, and they deserve transparency.”
Reps. Balderson, Bergman, Joyce, Kiggans, Fitzpatrick, Graves, Molinaro, Williams, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo) voted against the amendment. Representatives Lieu, Porter, and Caraveo (all Democrats) voted in favor of the bill.
A representative for Balderson, Kyle Chance, stated on Thursday that the congressman had voted against the bill by accident and has since asked the House Clerk to change his vote. A statement read that during a busy voting series Wednesday night, Rep. Balderson mistakenly voted nay on Miller’s amendment.
Rep. Balderson notified the House Clerk this morning that he plans to vote “AYE” in favor of increased government openness and reduced wasteful expenditure, Chance said.
A vocal supporter of comprehensive climate measures, Buttigieg flew at least 18 flights using the FAA’s taxpayer-funded private aircraft between early 2021 and mid-2022,
Buttigieg used government-managed private aircraft to fly from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas in August 2021 to advocate for public works projects. Also, in August of 2022, Buttigieg took a tour touting federal infrastructure funds by flying on a private aircraft to numerous states, often considered toss-ups in presidential elections.
As a result of the December report, an inquiry into Buttigieg’s usage of the FAA fleet was launched by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation in late February. The investigation is still ongoing.
