WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a senior member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), issued the following statement today on President-elect Biden’s nomination of former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg to be the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation:

“Pete Buttigieg is a dynamic, forward-looking problem-solver who can help rebuild and modernize our nation’s transportation network.  He was America’s youngest Mayor of a city of over 100,000 people and brings a wealth of policy and management experience and integrity and accountability to the job.  He will help rebuild America’s infrastructure and strengthen our economy.

“Pete understands that our transportation network helps drive our economy and connects people and communities.  President Trump’s strategy of deferring needed infrastructure investments only makes the challenge bigger and more expensive.  The time to tackle it is now.  We need a transportation strategy that makes our communities more efficient, modern, safe, and livable.

“Pete Buttigieg deserves bipartisan support and I am looking forward to working with him and my colleagues to improve our roads, bridges, airports, ports, railways, and mass-transit infrastructure.”