Buttigieg ‘glad’ for federal audit on his use of government planes

DOT said in December that the 18 flights Fox News highlighted — to destinations that included Las Vegas, Montreal and Oklahoma — cost taxpayers just under $42,000. The audit was originally requested by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) who has since called for Buttigieg’s resignation over his handling of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Any government official can use the fleet, if they can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the agency’s ethics department that the flights will be more cost-effective than flying commercial, or for security or scheduling reasons. FEMA officials and National Transportation Safety Board accident investigators are typically frequent users of the planes, and it is not unusual for top DOT and FAA officials, as well as the heads of other agencies, to use them when warranted.

In 2018, POLITICO reported that former DOT Secretary Elaine Chao took the same FAA-owned planes on seven trips, costing taxpayers an estimated $93,977, including a $68,892 trip to and around Europe for her and five staffers.