As Biden signed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law on Monday, Pete Buttigieg finds himself overseeing $210 billion in discretionary grants, making him the most powerful transportation secretary ever.
For the next few years, he'll dole out those funds to projects across the country, including megaprojects like the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio, a key reason why Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted for the bill.
Buttigieg's rise from Midwestern mayor to presiding over administering hundreds of billions of dollars in a historic infrastructure package illustrates his dramatic political arc.
He's now one of Biden's go-to Cabinet members on messaging.
Buttigieg's childhood pal and presidential campaign manager, Mike Schmuhl, said the infrastructure bill represents Buttigieg's grounding belief that politics should, at core, address the mundane issues of everyday life.
He personally lobbied lawmakers on both sides, notching 300 calls and meetings until the final hours before the bill's passage, according to an adviser.
He logged more than 125 local news hits, and 300 press interviews selling the package.
The final bipartisan infrastructure deal wasn't everything Buttigieg and Biden wanted.
Buttigieg spent his earliest days in office talking up transportation projects that could improve racial equity, including in an early interview with Insider.
Still, the dollar amounts attached to the bipartisan infrastructure deal are so significant they have become a matter of consternation among Congressional Republicans.
Criticism aside, a White House official told Insider that Buttigieg would be instrumental in selling the plan alongside other Cabinet officials nationwide in events "aimed at touting what we've secured for working people with these historic investments."
@Sen_JoeManchin has expressed skepticism about a national universal preschool program, telling reporters that the Mountain State established its program without federal help.
Immigration reform could ultimately be struck down under Senate reconciliation rules, which require policies to directly and substantially affect the federal budget, and not just have a tangible impact on spending.
.@LannyDavis has strategized for President Bill Clinton, Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, businesswoman Martha Stewart, and other notables and corporate clients through some of the biggest scandals in recent history.
Young Republicans are the secret weapon behind the country’s most powerful political candidates. You may not know these names yet, but trust us, these are the people who will probably be running presidential campaigns in the future. businessinsider.com/millennial-gen…
As the midterm elections are nearing, young Republicans are ready to throw themselves headfirst into the political fire. Even a salary starting at $20,000 a year will not deter them from the dream of a successful future on Capitol Hill. businessinsider.com/capitol-hill-s…
With the Taliban set to re-declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden's decision to commit to a swift withdrawal has left the country and US personnel in peril.
Insider found there's been little public movement since the White House unveiled its strategy.
It outlined steps federal agencies should take to enhance their vetting of US government employees and improve how they detect domestic terrorism threats.
For the first time ever, America’s non-Hispanic white population declined, per Census data. The number of people identifying as white dropped below 60%.
Most of Middle America saw a decrease in population growth over the last decade, according to Census results. Large sections of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Mississippi have seen declines in their population since 2010, the data shows.