House Republicans are demanding Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explain the alarming number of near-misses at US airport and train safety accidents.
GOP members of the powerful House Oversight Committee called on Buttigieg to turn over numerous documents and asked his department to provide a full briefing to the panel on various transportation problems.
“This failure demonstrates a recent and disturbing pattern of failure at the Department that puts the security of the American people at risk,” the Republican lawmaker wrote to Buttigieg in a letter dated Tuesday.
In 2022, there will be about 1,730 runway incursions and through July 24, 2023, there will be 1,539 incursions this year, according to Federal Aviation Administration data cited by Republican lawmakers.
Pete Buttigieg has led the Department of Transportation since President Biden took office.Getty Images
Some of these disasters attracted media attention. For example, in January of this year two planes almost collided at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Republicans cited more than a dozen airport failures in their letter to Buttigieg.
Regarding rail safety disruptions, there have been at least 2,000 incidents across the country since 2021, including about 1,310 derailments and 146 collisions, the letter said.
Perhaps the most famous is the Norfolk Southern train derailment on February 3rd in East Palestine, Ohio that released toxic vinyl chloride into the air, soil and nearby water.
Republicans have previously pursued Pete Buttieg’s record in overseeing transportation and the nation’s infrastructure.AP
Buttigieg sparked backlash from the GOP for taking about three weeks to visit the besieged community earlier this year. President Biden has yet to survey the damage.
Republican lawmakers cited nine public incidents that threatened rail safety.
“Despite this incident, the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) has more than 86 new proposals pending since President Biden took office,” they added, citing a DOT Office of Inspector General report.
James Comer has been the House GOP’s key figure in leading the investigation into the Biden administration.Getty Images
“[Office of Management and Budget] requiring the OIG recommendation to be ‘resolved’ within six months,” the lawmaker continued. “From the OIG’s catalog of long-overdue and unresolved proposals, it appears that DOT leadership does not prioritize the safety of Americans in the air, land and sea.”
Republicans on the panel are seeking documents summarizing injuries and deaths from air and rail strikes, communications with the White House about the incident, DOT’s plan to take preventive measures, documents related to correspondence with the inspector general, and more.
In addition, the GOP called a staff-level briefing “no later than” Sept. 19.
Pete Buttigieg has largely shrugged off GOP attacks aimed at him. AP
Buttigieg has become a rising Democratic star, having launched an ultimately unsuccessful 2020 runaway campaign against Biden.
Americans for Public Trust, a conservative watchdog recently criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for blocking its request for information about Buttigieg’s flight logs and passenger records.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
