Buttigieg on DeSantis’ Immigration Stunt ‘Hurting People To Get Attention’
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had some harsh words for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last Thursday, for sending migrants to Democrat-led cities.
.@PeteButtigieg on the busing of migrants by Gov. @GregAbbott_TX & @GovRonDeSantis: “These are the kinds of stunts you see from people who don’t have a solution.”
“It’s not just ineffectual — it is hurting people in order to get attention.” #TribFest22 https://t.co/c5tFpfrYmF pic.twitter.com/r14W0x13JG
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 23, 2022
“Obviously, there are issues with the border and with migration,” Buttigieg said Thursday during the opening keynote of the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival. “But these are the kinds of stunts you see from people who don’t have a solution.”
Abbott has bused more than 11,000 migrants to cities including Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. DeSantis followed suit last week when the state of Florida paid to fly migrants from Texas — allegedly luring them by promising housing and jobs in Boston — to the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, where they were stranded.
Missing from Abbott and DeSantis’ tactics are any proposals to tackle the broader issue of immigration and border security, Buttigieg said.
In a wide-ranging discussion with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate, called out Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn for vowing to vote against a bill to enshrine same-sex marriage in federal law.
“I’ve met both of your senators and your governor,” Buttigieg said. “I don’t know their spouses. I don’t really think about their marriages. But I can’t imagine a situation where I would attempt to undo one of their marriages. So what makes them think that they are fit to pronounce upon mine?”
Buttigieg said, “The question now for all of us living in America in these times is: Did we just live to see the high-water mark of rights and freedoms?”
Buttigieg also blasted Abbott for directing the state’s child welfare agency to investigate parents who allow their transgender children access to gender-affirming care.
“You have a governor who, I mean, one minute they’re talking about parents’ rights, and next thing you know, they’re attacking parents, who when confronted with that sometimes disorienting and sometimes even frightening situation of your kid coming out to you, being in an incredibly vulnerable position trying to do the right thing for your kids and a government official wants to come and investigate you for trying to take care of your kids?” Buttigieg said
Buttigieg has been criss-crossing the country touting the Biden administration’s $550 billion infrastructure bill, which passed with rare bipartisan support in a gridlocked Congress and stands as one of Democrats’ biggest congressional achievements since President Joe Biden took office. Texas is on deck to get a windfall of $27 billion for roads and bridges, $3.4 billion for public transportation, $1.2 billion for airports and more than $400 million to install chargers for electric vehicles.
“Some of the best use cases for electric vehicles are in places like Texas,” Buttigieg said, “places where people spend more time in their vehicles, where you drive longer distances than in a dense coastal city and therefore spend more money on gas and therefore would save more money — provided you can afford an electric vehicle, which is why we’re fighting to make electric vehicles cheaper.”
Watch the full discussion below.
