A BRIDGE TO SELL — Pete Buttigieg has faced a consistent stream of infrastructure disasters during his time as Transportation Secretary. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is his biggest test yet . Unlike in East Palestine, Ohio, when he faced criticism for dithering before showing up at the site of a train derailment last year, a crisis more under the purview of EPA Chief Michael Regan, Buttigieg was on the ground with first responders the day of the collapse. Buttigieg, whose work cell phone buzzed not long after the bridge collapsed at 1:30 a.m, spent time on the phone with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zientz, and the state’s congressional delegation before canceling a planned trip to Wyoming and Montana, briefing President Joe Biden by phone and heading to Baltimore. “It’s definitely one of the most striking and extreme emergency situations that we’ve faced,” Buttigieg told POLITICO in an interview today, not long after briefing Biden in the Oval Office, and then later, the press. “We’ve obviously encountered issues with aviation safety, with rail safety. But to have a major maritime incident, and a major bridge incident, all wrapped up into one is definitely calling on all of the resources that we have at the department. And I’m giving it everything I’ve got.” The Biden administration and its partners face a three-fold challenge: reopen the port, which falls to the U.S. Coast Guard, deal with the supply chain challenge, and rebuild the bridge, Buttigieg said from the podium at the White House press briefing. In part, his response builds on the work his office has already done to alleviate supply chain issues that once threatened to delay the arrival of Christmas presents. And for Buttigieg, it is a political challenge, as well. Though he has said his only current ambition “is to be the best secretary of Transportation that I can,” the failed 2020 presidential candidate may run for political office again. And as with his every move, his management of the crisis will be a closely scrutinized part of his resume. “No question about it: his biggest test yet, and he’s handled it with flying colors,” said former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the former Republican congressman from Illinois who keeps in regular touch with Buttigieg. Buttigieg is not untested. Before the bridge collapse, he had to contend with Covid-induced supply chain snarls, air travel meltdowns and a train derailment in the heart of his native Midwest. At almost every turn, the role has delivered its share of unprecedented opportunities and challenges . And there are signs he learned lessons from the criticism that he wasn’t immediately on site in the aftermath of East Palestine. “Every disaster, emergency or crisis that you face informs how you deal with the next one,” Buttigieg said. In Washington, Buttigieg’s challenge will include outreach to the Hill to cover emergency funding, after Biden said the federal government will pay the costs of rebuilding the bridge. Buttigieg built legislative relationships while pushing the bipartisan infrastructure law to members of Congress in 2021, though the funding path for the bridge reconstruction is unlikely to be as complicated as that was. “The relationships that we’ve built, advocating for the bill, passing it and then implementing it are definitely serving us well in this crisis situation,” Buttigieg said. He’ll have to marshal resources within his department as well. “He’s going to have to pull his whole team together, and all hands on deck, to make this work,” LaHood said. Buttigieg is now working on a response to the state emergency relief request from the Maryland Department of Transportation, and then meeting with shippers and supply chain players. “Now it’s time to really have a more direct conversation about what they think the implications will be,” he said. It is likely they will still be ongoing after Buttigieg leaves the administration. Buttigieg earlier this month said he does not plan to stay in the role longer than five years , and LaHood said efforts to rebuild the bridge will likely outlast Buttigieg’s DOT tenure. “The rebuilding of this bridge is going to take several years,” LaHood said. “Planning is going to take a couple of years, and the rebuild is going to take several years. But he can lay the groundwork and the blueprint. And if he does that, whoever succeeds him will have a good game plan.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at awren@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @adamwren .
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