Buttigieg’s travel in jets under scrutiny by watchdog group

An internal watchdog will audit Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of Federal Aviation Administration jets for official trips, his office said Monday.

The Transportation Department said Buttigieg made 18 flights on FAA planes over seven trips. On all but one trip, it was less expensive to use FAA aircraft than to fly commercially, Buttigieg’s office said. The cost of the flights for Buttigieg and accompanying staff was $41,905.20, according to the department.

There are long- established rules for use of the planes — which Buttigieg’s office says have been followed — and past secretaries also have used them. The audit will come at a time when Republicans have been ratcheting up pressure on Buttigieg over the derailment of a freight train in Ohio and disruptions to air travel. The audit by the Transportation Department’s inspector general was requested by Sen. Marco Rubio, R- Fla., who cited a report by Fox News.

Kerry Arndt, a spokeswoman for Buttigieg, said in an emailed statement that his team welcomed the review, which it said would be a chance to “put some of the false, outlandish and cynical claims about the secretary’s mode of travel to rest.”

“The fact remains that he flies commercially the vast majority of the time,” Arndt said. “The exceptions have been when the department’s career ethics officials, who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, determined that the use of a nine- seat FAA plane would be either more cost-effective or should be approved for exceptional scheduling or security reasons.”

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had also asked for information about Buttigieg’s travel, questioning whether some of his trips could be justified.

“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,” Grassley wrote in January.

In a response Monday to Grassley, the Transportation Department said that of 138 flights Buttigieg has taken since being sworn in early in 2021, 119 have been on commercial airlines.

Buttigieg used a Coast Guard aircraft once, according to the Transportation Department.

He flew to Europe on a military plane to represent the administration at the Invictus Games, a contest for wounded members of the military and veterans.

Republicans in Congress have been seeking information about Buttigieg’s use of government planes after an advocacy group obtained details about the flights in December.

“American taxpayers deserve assurances that their tax dollars are not wasted by the government’s highest officials,” Rubio wrote to the inspector general in December while asking for the review.

“I am committed to both holding Secretary Buttigieg accountable for any fraudulent use of government aircraft and ensuring compliance with DOT policies and procedures.”

The FAA said in a statement that it maintains a fleet of aircraft primarily for safety research, but they can also be used by other government agencies and the Transportation Department to carry high-ranking officials. Trips carrying Buttigieg amounted to 3% of the flights of three planes in the FAA’s fleet, the agency said.

Federal rules require the department to compare the cost of using an FAA plane with commercial options. Transportation department officials are given a hefty discount when compared to other users.

The FAA’s rates to use a Cessna Citation come in at almost $5,000 per hour for non-Transportation Department users. But for officials within the department, the rate is about $1,000 per hour — largely because of a difference in how leasing costs are accounted for.

The FAA translates those hourly rates into the equivalent of a per-seat ticket cost to allow for price comparisons.