- A new advisor will assist development and infrastructure projects in Ukraine
- The Republican House voted to cut his pay, as reported by the committee on Tuesday
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Ukraine on Wednesday and announced that a new infrastructure adviser would help Kiev implement reconstruction projects and continue to fight the Russian invasion.
Buttigieg, a Marine reservist who deployed to Afghanistan while mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is the last senior Biden administration official to visit the country since the 2022 Russian invasion.
His journey comes as he faces persistent political pressure at home. The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed an amendment from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that would reduce his salary to $1.
It was passed on Tuesday as an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2024.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Kyiv to announce a new US adviser who will help Ukraine with its infrastructure and reconstruction projects
“I’m proud to have just announced my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg through the House of Representatives,” the Trump loyalist tweeted. “Pothole Pete organized fake bike rides to the White House and used taxpayer-funded private planes to receive prizes for the way certain people have sex,” she says. Posted on X, in an apparent reference to him receiving LGBT honors. “The American taxpayer should not be blamed for paying for his lavish travel or his salary.”
She said Buttigieg has been “busy calling roads racist” and accused him of “implementing his tyrannical climate agenda.”
Buttigieg was launched last year on $1 billion program to reconnect cities and neighborhoods that were sometimes separated by highway projects in the 1950s and 1960s.
The move, destined to fail in the Democratic Senate, would not actually fire the Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretary but would reduce his salary if the president were to implement it or sign it into law.
A US transportation engineer will join other advisers to Ukraine in the reconstruction effort
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she was “proud to announce that my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg just passed the House.” It would reduce his salary if signed into law by the president
That is a transport IG judge Buttigieg used state planes 18 times at the request of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Buttigieg says he usually flies commercially and uses government planes when it saves taxpayer money.
In Kiev, Robert Mariner, who has done technical work for the U.S. Air Force and Navy, will serve as a transportation advisor to Ukraine after previously serving as a transportation advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan.
Buttigieg, who met with Ukrainian officials to discuss the country’s economic recovery and the war’s impact on supply chains, especially port and rail infrastructure, said Ukraine had requested the appointment of a U.S. infrastructure adviser.
“This advisor will be in Kiev to provide technical assistance in the implementation of projects as part of the country’s reconstruction efforts. It is one of countless ways the U.S. continues to support the people of Ukraine over the long term and ensure their connection to the world,” Buttigieg said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has coordinated similar advisory roles at U.S. embassies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine severely damaged Ukraine’s infrastructure. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said on Wednesday that Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure 60 times with various weapons in recent weeks. Russia has also come under heavy attack on the country’s port infrastructure.
Ukraine said last month that the United States would provide nearly $700 million to help modernize checkpoints, ports and railways as part of an effort to improve the country’s logistics and boost export capacity. Penny Pritzker, the new US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, visited the country for the first time in October