A new New Hampshire primary poll points to an early shake-up in the 2028 presidential race, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) leading the Democratic field while Secretary of State Marco Rubio gains ground on Vice President JD Vance among Republicans.
<a href="https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1982&amp;amp;context=survey_center_polls">The Granite State Poll,</a> conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, shows the Democratic socialist leading the hypothetical Democratic field with 22% support, narrowly ahead of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 21%. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) placed third with 9%. 
Notably, the quarterly survey showed support slipping sharply for several other potential Democratic contenders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Newsom&#8217;s support in the Granite State fell from 15% in February to just 8% in July. Harris, the failed 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, also saw her support cut in half, falling from 10% in February to 5% in July. 
“Nearly half of socialists and one-third of progressives support Ocasio-Cortez, while pluralities of liberals and moderates support Buttigieg,” the polling report said. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New Hampshire poll of Republican primary voters on 2028 has shifted a lot since February, when it was 53% JD Vance to 7% Marco Rubio.
It is now 36% JD Vance to 26% Marco Rubio. <a href="https://t.co/kuYmt317j4">pic.twitter.com/kuYmt317j4</a>
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) <a href="https://x.com/BrentScher/status/2079979408043979096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
New Hampshire remains one of the nation&#8217;s most closely watched political battlegrounds, with its early primary serving as a crucial measure of presidential candidates&#8217; viability on the national stage. 
On the Republican side, the poll showed support for Vice President Vance slipping significantly. About 36% of likely GOP primary voters backed Vance, down sharply from 53% in February. Rubio appeared to capitalize on the shift, more than tripling his support from 7% to 26%.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley tied for third place at 8%. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished fifth with 6%, followed by former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard with 4%. 
Despite his decline, Vance enjoyed the highest favorability rating among New Hampshire Republican primary voters. The survey found GOP voters overwhelmingly want the party&#8217;s next nominee to build on President Donald Trump&#8217;s agenda, while only 28% said they preferred a candidate who would take the party in a different direction.
Neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly announced a presidential campaign. Still, Trump&#8217;s endorsement could prove decisive. More than 40% of Republican primary voters surveyed said his backing would significantly influence their vote.

Earth Day event in Virginia

A New 2028 Poll Just Shook Up Both Parties

2028

2028 presidential election

Democrats

Gavin Newsom

JD Vance

Kamala Harris

Marco Rubio

Mark Kelly

New Hampshire

News

Pete Buttigieg

Politics

Republicans

A federal infrastructure program used by the Biden administration to fund bike lanes and “advance equity” will go toward fixing America’s bridges, roads, and shipping ports, The Daily Wire has learned. 
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would be awarding $1.73 billion in infrastructure grants through the Department of Transportation to improve roads and bridges. Under Biden, the department focused on fighting “climate change,” pushing DEI, and funding bike lanes. 
“America is fortunate to have a Builder in the White House who knows America is only as great as our infrastructure,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told The Daily Wire. “That’s why this Department is investing in repairing critical roads and bridges that connect Americans to job opportunities, port infrastructure that bolsters our national security, and aviation and transit projects that move American families.”
The funding will be awarded through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program.
Around 77% of the total grant funding ($1.3 billion) will be allocated to roads and bridges along critical transportation arteries, and another 7% will go toward beefing up the nation’s maritime infrastructure, the Department of Transportation told The Daily Wire. In contrast to Biden, when around 20% of funding went toward pedestrian-bike lane projects, no funds will go toward bike lanes. Just 2% of the funding under Biden went toward maritime projects, according to the Department of Transportation. 
“The impact of these dollars will be felt in communities nationwide for years to come,” Duffy added. 
During the Biden presidency, the BUILD program was renamed Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), but the Trump administration changed the name back to BUILD.
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg focused on pushing DEI and climate-related projects through the program. In November 2021, Buttigieg <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-secretary-transportation-buttigieg-announces-nearly-1-billion-grant-awards">declared</a> the program would focus on “equity” and combating “climate change.”
In 2023, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-announces-availability-15-billion-raise-grants-made">said</a> it wanted grant applicants to “consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity.&#8221; That same year, Buttigieg <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-appoints-members-advisory-committee-transportation-equity-acte">reestablished</a> an Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity with the purpose of helping the department &#8220;institutionalize equity into Agency programs, policies, regulations, and activities.&#8221;
A <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/21/us-news/pete-buttigiegs-dot-spent-80-billion-on-dei-grants-delayed-air-traffic-control-upgrades-records-industry-insiders/">report</a> last year from the New York Post revealed that more than $80 billion was designated to DEI-related projects under Buttigieg’s four years as transportation secretary.
Shortly after taking office, Duffy <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-takes-action-rescind-woke-dei-policies-and">moved</a> to implement the Trump administration&#8217;s policy of eliminating DEI from government programs and policies. He directed department officials to rescind any DEI or climate change-related policies.

President Trump Holds Press Briefing

Trump Uses Biden’s Billion-Dollar DEI Bike Lane Program To Fix What Americans Actually Use

Biden Administration

Department of Transportation

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Sean Duffy

Trump Administration

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rebuked his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, over the pace of efforts to revamp the nation’s outdated transportation system, calling the former Biden administration official a “sloth.”
Duffy posted a <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/2054697011522179289?s=20">montage video highlighting</a> what he described as failures under the Biden administration’s handling of transportation while touting improvements under President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Pete Buttigieg moved like a sloth. I’m moving at the speed of Trump!” Duffy said on social media. “He did nothing. He spent $80 billion on DEI and on climate change. We did more in one year than the last administration did in all four.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pete Buttigieg moved like a sloth. 
I’m moving at the speed of Trump!
After four years of a do-nothing DOT Secretary, America is back 🇺🇸
Look what <a href="https://twitter.com/USDOT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USDOT</a> has done in just ONE year!👇🏼 <a href="https://t.co/2obqel6bfq">pic.twitter.com/2obqel6bfq</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/2056155348898087364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
“This is AWESOME. There is no doubt<a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy"> @SecDuffy</a> is modernizing American transportation for the future,” <a href="https://x.com/RepOgles/status/2054748620423885054?s=20">Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) said on X.</a> 
The criticism comes after Buttigieg hit the airwaves to slam the transportation secretary&#8217;s decision to film a road trip series during a government shutdown.
Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, starred in a five-part YouTube reality show titled <a href="https://greatamericanroadtrip.org/#about">The Great American Road Trip</a>. The series, which debuts in June, follows the couple and their children as they travel across the country visiting American landmarks.
“I love road trips. I love America. I actually took a taxpayer-funded road trip lasting about seven months. It was in Afghanistan. This is something very different,” Buttigieg said to CNN anchor Dana Bash. 
“This is not about patriotism, and it is an embarrassment to have him going around saying that a road trip quote fits any budget at a time when more and more Americans cannot afford a road trip because of the explosion in diesel prices and gas prices caused directly by the Iran war,” he added. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Mayor Pete Buttigieg tells Dana Bash on Sean Duffy: &#8220;I love roadtrips. I love America. I actually took a taxpayer-funded roadtrip lasted about 7 months. It was in Afghanistan. This is something very different.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/MNCIe4BzRC">pic.twitter.com/MNCIe4BzRC</a>
— Neo Jane (@Neo_Jane8) <a href="https://twitter.com/Neo_Jane8/status/2056035275386548497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
The Biden-era cabinet official and possible 2028 presidential hopeful also swiped Duffy’s job performance. 
“The one thing I think most of us agree on is that there&#8217;s a shortage around air traffic control. Maybe it&#8217;s because they&#8217;ve been struggling to hire. I noticed that under my successor, the pace of hiring air traffic controllers slowed down dramatically&#8230;” he said. 
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation refuted that characterization, telling The Daily Wire that DOT has hired 20% more air traffic controllers annually than the previous administration. 
Modernization of the air traffic control system is also underway, according to the spokesperson, with the administration having replaced 50% of all copper wiring, converted 278 radio sites nationwide, and installed 58 new surface awareness systems. Under Duffy, the administration has saved taxpayers approximately $14 billion since inauguration and eliminated 600,000 words of regulation, according to the department. 
The back-and-forth comes amid a series of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-united-airlines-plane-hits-bakery-truck-moments-before-landing?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=49&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WATCH%3A+United+Airlines+Plane+Hits+Light+Pole%2C+Damages+Truck+Moments+Before+Landing">high-profile aviation scares</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spirits-collapse-shows-why-bigger-companies-arent-always-a-bad-thing">industry setbacks</a>, including the recent collapse of Spirit Airlines.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scott-bessent-blames-elizabeth-warren-biden-admin-for-spirit-airlines-collapse">The White House has blamed</a> the Biden administration’s rejection of the Spirit-Jet Blue merger for the company’s ceasing operations, which has disrupted travel for thousands and cost 17,000 jobs. The low-cost airline had dozens of routes, including nonstop flights between major cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville, New Orleans, and Newark.  <a href="https://x.com/MurfamPost/status/2050556560795996373?s=20">Viral videos on social media</a> showed empty and deserted Spirit check-in counters at airports across the country.
Buttigieg, in the CNN interview, deflected responsibility.  
&#8220;Spirit Airlines shut down because the Iran war sent jet fuel prices through the roof. This is not about an antitrust decision from two or three years ago,” Buttigieg said. “Trying to reach back a year, two years, three years for excuses for what&#8217;s happening on your watch is a tremendous show of weakness.”

‘Moved Like A Sloth’: Duffy Rips Buttigieg As Transportation Feud Escalates

Transportation

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared to acknowledge that the ongoing Senate standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security is largely a political dispute rather than a pure funding crisis, conceding in a television interview that immigration enforcement agencies already have substantial funding.
The admission came during an appearance Sunday on State of the Union with host Jake Tapper, as Democrats continue blocking a House-passed bill that would fund the entire department. Tapper asked Buttigieg whether Democrats should accept what he described as a partial victory and move to reopen DHS.
“Don’t you think Democrats should take what’s something of a win and start funding DHS again?” Tapper asked. Buttigieg responded by arguing that Republicans were blocking Democratic proposals to fund most parts of the department while negotiations continue over immigration enforcement agencies.
“I think Republicans should stop blocking the Democratic proposals to fund all of DHS including TSA and other parts, except for the parts that should be negotiated over which is ICE and Customs and Border Patrol,” Buttigieg said. “Remember ICE has already gotten tens of billions of dollars of funding — it’s larger than many of the world’s militaries.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Pete Buttigieg admits Democrats are the ones shutting down DHS knowing ICE is already funded.
BUTTIGIEG: &#8220;ICE has already gotten&#8230;funding.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/EVFsBEOzwA">pic.twitter.com/EVFsBEOzwA</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2033187325153366041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The comments come as Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted to block a motion to proceed on a House-passed funding bill for DHS. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5781155-democrats-blocks-homeland-security-funding-bill/">The latest vote </a>failed 51–46, short of the 60 votes needed to advance. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to move the legislation forward.
Democrats have argued that the bill should not advance because it includes funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without changes to immigration enforcement practices.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Democrats want reforms that would require immigration agents to operate more like traditional law enforcement. “We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE,” Schumer said before the vote. “Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks.”
He added on the Senate floor on Thursday, “Who’s standing in the way? America, look at it. We’re not putting any preconditions on funding TSA; the Republicans are.”
Republicans argue the stalemate is the result of <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/democrats-republicans-dhs-shutdown-00827135">Democrats refusing to fund</a> core immigration enforcement agencies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said GOP negotiators had repeatedly offered compromise proposals, including a short-term resolution that would reopen the entire department.
“There have been offers made repeatedly,” Thune said on the Senate floor, urging lawmakers to fund not only the Transportation Security Administration but also agencies such as the United States Coast Guard and FEMA.
Democrats, meanwhile, attempted to pass funding bills for individual components of DHS, including the TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA. Republicans blocked those efforts, trying to keep the funding package whole, to prevent what would essentially be an unlegislated freeze on ICE and CBP.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) accused Democrats of political “gamesmanship” on the Senate floor. “The Democrats do not want to fund the Coast Guard because they’re hell-bent on defunding ICE,” Schmitt said.
Buttigieg’s remarks highlighting the existing funding levels for ICE could add a new dimension to the debate, as lawmakers continue to clash over whether the standoff is about government funding or broader disagreements over immigration enforcement policy.

Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Testifies On 2025 Budget In House Hearing

Pete Buttigieg Admits DHS Shutdown Has No Impact On ICE, Still Blames GOP

Jake Tapper

Media

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is not impressed with the Democratic bench going into the 2028 presidential election cycle — and he&#8217;s not holding back his overall assessment of the likely candidates: &#8220;a total clown car.&#8221;
Enten joined CNN anchor John Berman on Tuesday to discuss the likely candidates just as a new memoir from Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — considered a heavy favorite to jump in the race — hit shelves, and his take was that Newsom was &#8220;flailing.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN&#8217;s Harry Enten just ROASTED Gavin Newsom&#8217;s 2028 ambitions &#8220;He&#8217;s definitely flailing&#8221;:
&#8220;This is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side.&#8221;
&#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear front-runner at this particular point on… <a href="https://t.co/TYijTMGKWt">pic.twitter.com/TYijTMGKWt</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2026310210013286885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Enten&#8217;s concern, as he broke down the numbers for Berman, was that there was no clear leader in the Democratic Party — and no one seemed poise for the kind of surge that would be necessary to push them to the front of the pack going into the 2028 primaries.
&#8220;Yeah, they’re all running and this is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side,&#8221; Enten said, noting that the early polls showed Newsom (at 19%) just barely in the lead over former Vice President Kamala Harris (at 18%) and that his advantage was slim enough to be within the margin of error.
&#8220;Quite a weak number for [Harris], given that, of course, she was the nominee last time around,&#8221; Enten noted.
He went on to say that other likely contenders — such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who polled at 13% and 12%, respectively — were not doing any better.
&#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear frontrunner at this particular point on the Democratic side. Who the heck knows who the nominee is going to be in two years?&#8221; Enten added. &#8220;It was been a long time, this is very unusual for the Democratic side to not have a clear frontrunner at this point. You have to go all the way back, all the way back from when I wasn’t even in elementary school yet, not even in pre-K yet, to 1992, that was the last cycle in which there was no clear frontrunner at this point. Very unusual.&#8221;
The analyst then singled out Newsom, saying that in particular, he appeared to be losing ground — and popularity — even as he moves to market his memoir.
&#8220;It seems to me that Gavin Newsom is flailing a little bit, at least compared to where he was prior,” he said, explaining that betting markets were cooling off as far as Newsom was concerned. &#8220;Three months ago, according to the prediction market, look at that, it was a 37% chance, now it’s just at 28%. Down he goes. He’s definitely flailing a little bit.&#8221;

California Governor Gavin Newsom Interview

They’ve Lost CNN: Chief Data Guru Says 2028 Democrat Bench Is A ‘Total Clown Car’

They've Lost CNN: Chief Data Guru Says 2028 Democrat Bench Is A 'Total Clown Car'

Democrat

Harry Enten

Former Vice President Kamala Harris told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow that she didn&#8217;t decide against choosing former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate because he is gay, but rather, she opted not to choose him as her running mate because he is gay.
Harris spoke with Maddow — who is openly gay — about her upcoming memoir &#8220;107 Days,&#8221; in which she said that she&#8217;d felt it would be difficult to win a race as a black woman if her running mate were gay. Saying that Buttigieg &#8220;would have been an ideal partner — if I were a straight white man. But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a black woman, a black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, &#8216;Screw it, let’s just do it.&#8217; But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.&#8221;
Maddow asked her about the passage, clearly a bit upset by the tone of the statement. &#8220;I guess I&#8217;d ask you to just elaborate on that a little bit &#8230; it&#8217;s hard to hear with you, the first woman elected vice president &#8230; to say that he couldn&#8217;t be on the ticket effectively because he was gay, is hard to hear.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kamala wrote in her book she couldn’t pick Mayor Pete to be her vice president because he was gay. Asked about it by Maddow, she says that’s not what she said. How is she so bad at all of this? <a href="https://t.co/IpT1JiC9SE">pic.twitter.com/IpT1JiC9SE</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1970334486023021002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;My point is, as I write in the book, is that I was clear that in 107 days, in one of the most hotly contested elections for president against someone like Trump, who knows no floor,&#8221; Harris said, attempting to spin her argument as a move to protect Buttigieg from the obvious onslaught of attacks that would have come. &#8220;To be a black woman running for president, and as a vice presidential running mate, a gay man. With the stakes being so high, it made me very sad. But I also realized it would be a real risk.&#8221;
Harris then attempted to use her record of supporting the LGBTQ community to redirect the conversation — and assure Maddow that her decision was not a personal one — saying, &#8220;You know, I&#8217;ve been an advocate and an ally of the LGBT community my entire life. So it wasn&#8217;t about any prejudice on my part, but we had such a short &#8230; we had such a short period of time. And the stakes were so high.&#8221;

Kamala Says She Didn’t Ditch Mayor Pete Because He’s Gay, She Did It Because He’s Gay

Rachel Maddow

Former Vice President Kamala Harris wanted to pick then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate in 2024, but decided against it because she wasn’t “a straight white man,” according to an excerpt from her new book. 
In portions of her new memoir <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/09/kamala-harris-running-mate-pete-buttigieg/684249/">published</a> by The Atlantic on Wednesday, Harris wrote that the openly gay Buttigieg was her “first choice” for her vice presidential running mate. However, she said she felt that a ticket with Buttigieg would present a level of diversity America wasn’t ready to embrace.
Harris wrote that Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner—if I were a straight white man.”
“But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk,” Harris wrote. “And I think Pete also knew that—to our mutual sadness.”
Harris’s book, called “107 Days,” is set to be released on September 23.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was Biden’s transportation secretary. He is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-to-pass-on-senate-run-as-he-eyes-white-house-in-2028-report">reportedly</a> considering a run for president in 2028. Earlier this year, he opted not to run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, reportedly to position himself better for a run for the White House. 
Harris wrote that Buttigieg “is a sincere public servant with the rare talent of being able to frame liberal arguments in a way that makes it possible for conservatives to hear them.”
In the end, Harris chose Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. 
The first portions of her book, released earlier this month, Harris <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-turns-on-biden-in-first-excerpt-from-new-memoir-it-was-recklessness">attacked</a> former President Joe Biden, claiming his re-election bid was driven by ego and that his team actively sought to undermine her.
“Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness,” she wrote of Biden’s decision to run for re-election. “The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision.”

2024 Democratic National Convention: Day 4

Kamala Reveals Who Her ‘First Choice’ For Running Mate Was

2024 Election

Elections

Tim Walz

During his four years in office, the former Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, reportedly oversaw a department that spent more than $80 billion on grants for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
That total represented “at least half of the DOT’s entire budget for a typical fiscal year,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/21/us-news/pete-buttigiegs-dot-spent-80-billion-on-dei-grants-delayed-air-traffic-control-upgrades-records-industry-insiders/">The New York Post</a> reported.
Sources told the Post that at a meeting, Buttigieg told an airline industry executive that improving existing air traffic control would simply increase air traffic, “and so why would that be in his interest?” sources said.
“He was definitely pushing an agenda,&#8221; one air industry official told the Post, adding that Buttigieg had “little to no interest” and took “definitely zero action” for bringing air traffic control up-to-date.
In February 2023, on the same day a FedEx cargo plane almost crashed into a Southwest Airlines plane in Austin, Texas, Buttigieg posted a video to celebrate “Transit Equity Day.”
“Transit is not just about getting from A to B, it’s about reaching jobs, education, health care, and so much more,” Buttigieg wrote on X. “On this Transit Equity Day, we reinforce our commitment to transportation systems that serve those who count on them the most. Transit is not just about getting from A to B, it’s about reaching jobs, education, health care, and so much more.”
That same month, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy ripped the Federal Aviation Administration, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/15/buttigieg-airline-faa-billy-nolen-00087176">saying, </a>“We’ve essentially given you the road map on how to improve safety. &#8230; Too often we’ve seen the federal government and industry act after an incident, after lives are lost, once headlines are made. Our entire mission at the NTSB is to prevent that next accident.”
In August 2023, Buttigieg’s DOT announced the appointment of 24 members to the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE). “They include experts in community engagement, transportation planning, design, research, policy, advocacy, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA),” the Department of Transportation <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-appoints-members-advisory-committee-transportation-equity-acte">wrote</a>.
In February 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated, “Effective immediately, the Department of Transportation will no longer participate in celebrations based on immutable traits or any other identity-based observances. These distractions do nothing to keep planes in the air, trains on the tracks, or ports and highways secure.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Effective immediately, the Department of Transportation will no longer participate in celebrations based on immutable traits or any other identity-based observances. These distractions do nothing to keep planes in the air, trains on the tracks, or ports and highways secure. In…
&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1885855599390245367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Indiana v Notre Dame – Playoff First Round

Transportation Took A Back Seat As Buttigieg Pushed $80 Billion DEI Agenda

Amid a significant uptick in near-miss incidents at airports across the country, then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed for his department to focus on equity.
On February 4, 2023, a FedEx cargo plane nearly crashed into a Southwest Airlines passenger plane on a runway in Austin, Texas. That same day, Buttigieg, who is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-to-pass-on-senate-run-as-he-eyes-white-house-in-2028-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> considering a 2028 presidential run, posted a video in celebration of “transit equity.” 
Disaster was only averted in Austin after the FedEx plane pulled up about 190 feet away from the Southwest plane, which had been spotted by a pilot of the FedEx craft. Both had been cleared to use the runway at the same time by an air traffic controller. The National Safety Transportation Board <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA23FA149.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> one of the primary causes for the near-collision was due to the air traffic controller’s “expectation” that the Southwest plane would have taken off earlier than it did. 
As that situation developed in Austin, Buttigieg posted videos in honor of “Transit Equity Day.” 
“Transit is not just about getting from A to B, it&#8217;s about reaching jobs, education, health care, and so much more,” Buttigieg wrote on X. “On this Transit Equity Day, we reinforce our commitment to transportation systems that serve those who count on them the most.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Transit is not just about getting from A to B, it&#8217;s about reaching jobs, education, health care, and so much more.
On this Transit Equity Day, we reinforce our commitment to transportation systems that serve those who count on them the most. <a href="https://t.co/yh2irNcSEB">pic.twitter.com/yh2irNcSEB</a>
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1621952275496280064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
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He shared the video alongside Nuria Fernandez, who was then the administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. In that video, she said that the Department of Transportation&#8217;s priorities were “equity, accessibility, climate change.” 
As Buttigieg was promoting equity, a safety crisis was brewing in aviation. The first two months of 2023 saw at least six near-miss incidents recorded by the FAA. These incidents were happening at a “faster pace&#8221; than the previous five years combined, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/01/near-collisions-airlines-00084885" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a POLITICO analysis. 
Just two weeks later, another near-miss occurred at Logan Airport in Boston after a near-collision between a JetBlue passenger jet and a private aircraft which <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ntsb-report-jetblue-hop-a-jet-close-call-logan-airport-boston-february-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took off</a> without authorization. 
The increase in near-misses prompted the Federal Aviation Authority to convene a safety convention in March where NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy ripped into them for not adopting safety recommendations that she had given them. 
“We’ve essentially given you the road map on how to improve safety,” Homendy <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/15/buttigieg-airline-faa-billy-nolen-00087176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, adding that ignored recommendations are “the most frustrating thing for us.” 
“Too often we’ve seen the federal government and industry act after an incident, after lives are lost, once headlines are made,” Homendy said. “Our entire mission at the NTSB is to prevent that next accident.”
At the same convention, Buttigieg said that he was worried about the increase in close calls. 
“While the data remains clear that aviation remains an exceptionally safe form of travel, we take nothing for granted and we are particularly concerned because we have seen an uptick in serious close calls,” he said. 
Near-misses continued to be reported throughout 2023 and 2024, with growing concerns about airline safety, which only intensified after 67 people died in January of this year after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight over the Potomac River. 
The NTSB released a report on the deadly crash this week, urging the helicopter route that the Black Hawk was on the night of the crash to be shut down if certain runways at Reagan National Airport were in use. The <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AIR2501.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> found that there were over 15,000 close calls between October 2021 and December 2024 between planes and helicopters on that route. 
The Trump administration, which has moved to eliminate equity-focused initiatives from the federal government, has said that it plans to comply with the NTSB recommendations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pledged Tuesday to implement all of the NTSB recommendations, including continuing the ban on the helicopter route that caused the January crash. 
Duffy also said he would take steps to move the FAA from its reliance on dated technology and would work to move it away from floppy disks and copper wires. 
He promised that increased safety measures would be taken to increase runway safety, which has been a contributing factor in many of the close calls. 
“We are going to deploy resources for runway safety, new technology that will allow our air traffic controllers not to use binoculars in the tower to see where aircraft are at, but to actually have ground radar sensors at our airports that will allow air traffic controllers to see where airplanes are at and better control their movements,&#8221; he said.

Pete Buttigieg Pushed For ‘Transit Equity’ Amid Uptick In Airplane Close Calls

airplanes

National transportation Safety Board

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is reportedly backing out of a potential run for the U.S. Senate to set himself in a better position to compete for the White House in 2028.
Buttigieg bought a house in the Traverse City, Michigan, area in 2020 and went to live there after four years serving in former President Joe Biden’s cabinet.
The former transportation chief considered a run for Michigan’s open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Buttigieg met with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer about a potential bid. Democrats are anxious to keep control of the seat in 2026.
Buttigieg decided to pass on a Senate run as he eyes a renewed attempt at the Oval Office, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/13/pete-buttigieg-michigan-senate-run-00227583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO</a>. Running back-to-back campaigns in 2026 and 2028 would be difficult and could hurt his chances at the White House.
“The hardest decision in politics is to pass on a race you have a very good chance to win,” David Axelrod, a veteran Democratic strategist who has mentored Buttigieg, told POLITICO. “Pete was an A-list recruit and would have been a formidable candidate for the Senate had he chosen to run. But had he won in ’26, it would almost certainly have taken him out of the conversation for ’28.
“This certainly keeps that option open. Beyond that, I have a sense that he wanted to spend more time with his family, and with people in communities like his, where the conversations and concerns are so different than the ones you hear in the echo chamber of Washington,” Axelrod said.
Before being Transportation secretary, Buttigieg’s most notable role was as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, the fifth most populous city in the state with just over 100,000 residents. He ran for president in 2020, losing to Biden in the Democratic primary.
As Transportation Secretary, Buttigieg had a mixed rating from voters. In a Rasmussen <a href="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/biden_administration/democrats_like_buttigieg_others_not_so_much" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> released in April 2024, 41% of likely voters reported having a favorable impression of Buttigieg, while 40% reported an unfavorable impression, a marked decline in popularity from the year prior.
Most of his support came from Democrats, 63% of whom reported a favorable opinion. Thirty-eight percent of unaffiliated voters and just 18% of Republicans reported a favorable view of Buttigieg as Transportation secretary.

Buttigieg To Pass On Senate Run As He Eyes White House In 2028: Report

Michigan

Presidency

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy slammed his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, this week on social media as Buttigieg tried to imply that recent government cutbacks could have led to plane crashes that have occurred since the Trump administration took over.
&#8220;The flying public needs answers,&#8221; Buttigieg <a href="https://x.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1891486255889731993">posted</a> on X on Monday. &#8220;How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?&#8221;
His post comes as there have been several recent plane crashes, including a commercial airliner that collided with a helicopter in Washington, D.C., late last month.
&#8220;Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system,&#8221; Duffy responded. &#8220;In less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world.&#8221;
&#8220;Here’s the truth: the FAA alone has a staggering 45,000 employees,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Less than 400 were let go, and they were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.&#8221;
Duffy said that Buttigieg used the Department of Transportation as &#8220;a slush fund for the green new scam and environmental justice nonsense.&#8221;
&#8220;Not to mention that over 90% of the workforce under his leadership were working from home &#8211; including him. The building was empty!&#8221; he continued. &#8220;When we finally get a full accounting of his mismanagement, I look forward to hearing from him.&#8221;
Buttigieg&#8217;s criticisms of Duffy come as he is considering a run for U.S. Senate in Michigan following the unexpected retirement of Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who said last month that he would not run for re-election in 2026.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system. In less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world.
Here’s the… <a href="https://t.co/LCL1dswC2T">https://t.co/LCL1dswC2T</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1891656952662405304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>

Senate Commerce, Science, And Transportation Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing For Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy Shreds Pete Buttigieg Over Problems At FAA

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

General

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlighted on Sunday some of the ways that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous administration</a> was focused on the wrong things inside the Department of Transportation.
Duffy made the remarks during an interview on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State Of The Union&#8221; following two tragic plane crashes that happened last week.
Host Jake Tapper asked Duffy if DEI practices were in any way tied to the accident in Washington, D.C., where a military helicopter collided midair with a commercial passenger jet.
&#8220;So I do know that, in the last administration, they were focused on not safety, but they were focused on changing the name from cockpit to flight deck, or notice to airmen, they want to change it to notice to air mission,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;They focused on E.V.s and sustainability and racist roads, things that don&#8217;t matter in regard to safety.&#8221;
&#8220;Our mission since the start has been safety,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And they have lost that mission. And we see, when you don&#8217;t focus on safety and you focus on social justice or the environment, bad things happen.&#8221;
Duffy said that the department was going to assess all the ways that DEI has impacted the DOT and FAA and will release a report on it.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Sean Duffy just dispelled all the media lies about how Trump is just racist for suggesting that DEI played a role in the tragedy that unfolded in Washington, DC.
&#8220;I do know that in the last administration, they were focused not on safety, but they were focused on changing the… <a href="https://t.co/waSAo88ZJy">pic.twitter.com/waSAo88ZJy</a>
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediasLies/status/1886059454287815091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2025</a></blockquote>

Sean Duffy Outlines DEI Initiatives Biden Admin Focused On At Transportation Dept

Executive

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