It wasn’t immediately clear when a Senate committee would vote on Pete Buttigieg's nomination for Transportation Secretary, but he had a smooth day fielding questions and comments — including on his signature "Smart Streets" project — and drew wide praise.
The outgoing chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., set the tone at the outset Thursday morning, saying he was “quite certain” the former South Bend mayor would be confirmed by the full Senate.
The committee’s 26 members were then offered five minutes each to ask Buttigieg questions, and 22 of them did so.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., addressed him as “Mr. Secretary.”
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told Buttigieg, “Your intellect has preceded you into the room. You have put on a clinic on how a nominee should work and act. You haven’t avoided the questions, you’ve been straightforward and you know what the hell you’re talking about, and that’s really pretty damn refreshing.”
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