Pete Buttigieg was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday by a 86-13 vote to head the U.S. Transportation Department.
Buttigieg, a U.S. Navy veteran and the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., will oversee maritime, aviation, highways, vehicles, pipelines and transit, as well as efforts to ensure safe transportation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buttigieg recently drew praise from members of the American maritime industry after voicing his support for the Jones Act, a federal law requiring goods transported between U.S. ports to be carried on U.S.-flagged vessels built, owned and crewed by Americans. "[The Jones Act] is so important to a maritime industry that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as a shipbuilding industry here in the U.S.," he said during a January confirmation hearing.
The Biden appointee fills a role last held by Elaine Chao, who resigned in January, days before her term was due to end, following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.