US President Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of transportation was confirmed on Tuesday by the Senate, making Pete Buttigieg the first openly gay member of a White House cabinet.
Mr Buttigieg, a breakout star of the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign before dropping out and endorsing Mr Biden, was confirmed by a strong bipartisan vote of 86 to 13.
The confirmation elevates Mr Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and a US Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan as a military intelligence officer, to the leadership of a sprawling federal agency at just 39 years of age.
“Mr Buttigieg is committed to working with members from both sides to improve rail and transit, highways, and more, in rural communities, urban centres, and everywhere in between,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote.
Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who heads the LGBTQ Victory Institute, said “Pete shattered a centuries-old political barrier with overwhelming bipartisan support and that paves the way for more LGBTQ Americans to pursue high-profile appointments.”
Mr Biden has said he is eager to put together a sweeping infrastructure package. Mr Buttigieg, who like Mr Biden ran as a moderate Democrat, could be instrumental in winning over bipartisan support.
Mr Buttigieg becomes part of what Mr Biden has described as the most diverse cabinet in US history.
His appointment was announced just before the US Senate also confirmed Cuban-born Alejandro Mayorkas as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, making him the first Hispanic and first immigrant to lead the department that oversees immigration and border issues.
