Manchin Blasts Buttigieg: ‘He’s Not Getting High Marks Right Now’

It’s not just Congressional Republicans or the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, angry at Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, it’s members of his own Democratic Party.

Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, has been highly critical of Buttigieg’s response (or lack thereof) to the Ohio train derailment that spilled millions of gallons of deadly chemicals into the ground and surrounding waterways. Much of that contaminated water will wash downstream toward other states such as *ding ding* West Virginia.

Days ago, Manchin went nuclear on the issue blaming Buttigieg for the mismanagement and questioning why Biden’s Transportation Secretary has been so derelict in overseeing the cleanup:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is blaming Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for the train crash that spilled toxic chemicals all over East Palestine, Ohio.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday, Manchin addressed the electric brakes, which experts at the Federal Railroad Administration say could have minimized the damage in the crash. Those regulations would have required the brakes to be in place by 2023. But according to Manchin such regulations don’t matter.

“You can put all the regulations you want. It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t monitor,” Manchin said, addressing the “heavier loads” and “faster speeds” trains travel and other actions.

Manchin has blamed President Joe Biden and Buttigieg for the derailment, saying last week, “This raises serious questions around equipment maintenance, inspections, and existing safety systems intended to prevent these accidents.”

When asked if Buttigieg deserved more blame, Manchin said simply, “he’s responsible. He’s responsible to oversee it.”

Since that time, Buttigieg hasn’t done himself any favors.

As if his poor handling of the Ohio train derailment was bad enough, Buttigieg now faces scrutiny over his use of private jet travel in his duties at the DOT:

The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) internal watchdog is opening an audit into Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over his extensive use of private jets, the agency confirmed to Fox News Digital on Monday.

The DOT Inspector General investigation comes roughly two months following a Fox News Digital report that showed Buttigieg, who has repeatedly argued in favor of aggressive action to combat climate change, has taken at least 18 flights using taxpayer-funded private jets since taking office in early 2021. Flight records reviewed by Fox News Digital aligned with Buttigieg’s internal calendar obtained at the time by government watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT).

“After Americans for Public Trust helped determine Secretary Buttigieg’s excessive use of taxpayer-funded government jets, we are pleased to see that his air travel is now under investigation,” APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital on Monday.

When asked this week about the issue, in relation to Buttigieg’s other shortcomings, Manchin expressed more concern:

Sen. Joe Manchin sharply criticized Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over his handling of the Ohio rail disaster, telling me: "I think that basically Pete is not getting high grades right now."

Manchin would not say if he has confidence in Buttigeg: "I have concerns"

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 2, 2023

As a diversity hire, Buttigieg was never qualified for the position he currently fills. As the mayor of a small to mid-size town, his resume was empty when it came to understanding transportation as national infrastructure. Ironically, the streets and roads within Mayor Pete’s jurisdiction of South Bend, Indiana, were so notably bad, he earned the nickname ‘pothole Pete’.

Sufficed to say, Buttigieg has been a disaster for the Biden administration, perhaps doing a worse job than Kamala Harris has in the office of Vice President.

If Buttigieg keeps losing friends within his own party it’ll be hard to see how he continues to stay on the job as Biden’s Secretary of Transportation.