This isn’t just a policy misstep. It’s a blueprint for how a federal agency can burn through billions while ignoring the one job it was built to do. Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation had the money. They just didn’t use it to keep air travel safe.
From townhall:
“Records reviewed by the Post show that the DOT was more focused on DEI grants totaling more than $80 billion over four years, at least half of the entire budget for a typical fiscal year.”
“He was definitely pushing an agenda,” one air industry official said, adding that Buttigieg took “definitely zero action” toward modernization.
“So why would that be in his interest?” Buttigieg reportedly said when asked about updating air traffic control to help airlines fly more planes.
These are not anonymous whispers. These are industry voices saying the quiet part loud.
Here’s what was quietly sidelined:
-
Outdated air traffic control systems from the Carter era still guiding 182 million passengers a year
-
Repeated warnings from airlines and pilots asking for system upgrades
-
Staffing shortages in control towers across major hubs
-
No concrete modernization efforts, despite the FAA’s long-documented tech vulnerabilities
-
Full-scale blame shifting onto airlines for flight delays, while the DOT spent lavishly on programs with no link to flight safety
The public was never told about these priorities until the consequences hit. Travelers stuck for hours. Near-collisions that barely make the news. Staff walking out. And yet the funding went into ideological initiatives while the national airspace was patched together with duct tape.
That quote from Buttigieg: “so why would that be in his interest?” is a snapshot of a cabinet secretary more invested in optics than operations. If flying more planes safely isn’t the DOT’s interest, then whose interest were they serving?
