Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he welcomes an upcoming audit by the U. S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General into his use of Department of Transportation aircraft on official trips.
A Feb. 27 memo by Charles Ward, principal assistant inspector general for audits and evaluations, announced plans for an audit to determine if Buttigieg “complied with federal regulations, policies and procedures regarding executive travel on DOT aircraft.” The audit will be focused on official trips taken since Jan. 31, 2017.
“Glad this will be reviewed independently so misleading narratives can be put to rest. Bottom line: I mostly fly on commercial flights, in economy class. And when I do use our agency's aircraft, it's usually a situation where doing so saves taxpayer money,” Buttigieg posted on Twitter Feb. 27.
The Office of Management and Budget's guidance allows executives to travel on government aircraft “only for official travel or on a space-available basis,” the memo said. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., asked Dec. 16. 2022, that the Office of Inspector General investigate Buttigieg’s use of government aircraft to determine if he complied with federal regulations and Department of Transportation policies and procedures.
Rubio asked for the investigation following reports Buttigieg “used taxpayer-funded private jets to travel domestically and internationally at least 18 different times since taking office,” a Dec. 16, 2022, news release said.
“American taxpayers deserve assurances that their tax dollars are not wasted by the government's highest officials,” Rubio’s letter said, according to the release. “I am committed to both holding Secretary Buttigieg accountable for any fraudulent use of government aircraft and ensuring compliance with DOT policies and procedures. Therefore, I appreciate your prompt and thorough review of these issues.”
A Fox News article from December 2022 quoted an unnamed Department of Transportation spokesperson who said Buttigieg “mostly travels by commercial airline.” Buttigieg ensures travel and logistical decisions use taxpayer dollars efficiently and responsibly, the spokesperson said.
“Given that commercial air travel is usually the cheapest way for the Secretary and his staff to travel, 108 of the 126 flights for DOT trips he has taken have been on commercial airlines,” the spokesperson said, according to Fox News.
