{"id":557638,"date":"2023-02-28T18:24:42","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/buttigieg-gets-hit-from-right-left-in-east-palestine-crisis\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28T18:24:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:24:42","slug":"buttigieg-gets-hit-from-right-left-in-east-palestine-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/buttigieg-gets-hit-from-right-left-in-east-palestine-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"#Buttigieg gets hit from right, left in East Palestine crisis\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35fdc72419d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35fdc72419d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/buttigieg-gets-hit-from-right-left-in-east-palestine-crisis\/#Buttigieg_gets_hit_from_right_left_in_East_Palestine_crisis\" >Buttigieg gets hit from right, left in East Palestine crisis\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buttigieg_gets_hit_from_right_left_in_East_Palestine_crisis\"><\/span>Buttigieg gets hit from right, left in East Palestine crisis\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/51ce4ed46d064871a7e7ba71bf73fd6c.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg is facing his hardest test in the Biden administration yet with the response to the East Palestine train derailment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg has already had a tough 2023 dealing with airline meltdowns and problems with the FAA.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Now he\u2019s the political figure under the most intense criticism over the train derailment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have ripped Buttigieg for not being on the scene earlier. More <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly, the episode has raised troubling questions about rail safety and the response by the government to dangers posed by the release of vinyl chloride to air and water quality.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg sought to go on offense last week, criticizing former President Trump and the GOP over opposition to safety regulations while defending the administration\u2019s response.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEver since I came into this job,\u00a0I have seen the power that multi-billion dollar railroad companies wield,\u00a0and they fight safety regulations tooth and nail,\u201d he told ABC\u2019s \u201cGood Morning America\u201d on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s got to change. The future cannot be like the past.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But forging a new future will mean slipping the rails laid by the Transportation Department\u2019s traditional role, say progressive critics, who argue it has historically been too deferential to big transportation companies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Some of Buttigieg\u2019s new proposals have won praise from rail union advocates \u2014 a key Biden constituency that has been pressing the railroads on safety and labor issues for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a really good start, although there\u2019s more that needs to be done,\u201d Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department at the AFL-CIO union, told The Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Regan noted that Buttigieg has announced his support for a new rule \u2014 long fought by the rail industry \u2014 that would require at least two copilots on every train. The airline industry is\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thestreet.com\/lifestyle\/travel\/airlines-are-lobbying-for-a-surprising-regulations-change\">lobbying for its own rule change<\/a>\u00a0which would allow them to fly planes with just one pilot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>He also praised Buttigieg\u2019s insistence that higher electronic monitoring standards must not become an excuse for cutting jobs or the time allotted to track inspections.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to things like brake inspections and track inspections, [the major rail carriers] always use <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> as a justification for why they can eliminate human track inspections,\u201d Regan said. \u201cSo it was good to get that signal from the Secretary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But for some progressive groups, the tough talk in Buttigieg\u2019s letter to the rail companies in some ways concealed its very weakness.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Dylan Gyauch-Lewis of the Revolving Door Project, a progressive group focused on executive branch reform, said that the secretary was asking rail carriers to voluntarily solve the problems he had identified \u2014 without mentioning any specific consequences if they failed to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has a habit \u2014 and he does this time and time again \u2014 where his inclination is to first ask very nicely and hope that something changes,\u201d Gyauch-Lewis said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gyach-Lewis argued that while Buttigieg\u2019s actions are restricted by what Congress will allow, his office still holds great power.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cOne thing he could do as a minimum first step is investigate how safety regulations impact rail workers on the job,\u201d he said \u2014 something Buttigieg didn\u2019t include on his list of proposals. Also, Gyauch-Lewis said, while Buttigieg is pushing Congress to raise fines, \u201che hasn\u2019t been levying fines much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The White House\u00a0has defended Buttigieg, a frequent target of both the right and left.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre last week called the attacks on Buttigieg\u00a0\u201cpure politics.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of bad faith attacks on Secretary Buttigieg,\u201d she added, contrasting attacks on Buttigieg to the treatment of Trump transportation secretary Elaine Chao. \u201cWhen there was these types of chemical spills, nobody was calling for her to be fired.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For many progressives and conservatives alike, however, Buttigieg\u2019s current embrace of rail reform is undermined by what they see as lenient treatment of airlines like Southwest. That company spent\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com\/~\/media\/Files\/S\/Southwest-IR\/LUV_2019_Annual%20Report.pdf\">billions on stock buybacks<\/a>\u00a0in the years leading up to its holiday cancellation crisis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Critics say the secretary allowed airlines to walk away with billions in consumer refunds for flights it knowingly overbooked. The alliance of state attorneys general was so frustrated that in summer 2020\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneygeneral.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/2022-08-31-Airline-Accountability-and-Increased-Consumer-Protection.pdf\">they pleaded with Congress<\/a>\u00a0to replace the Department of Transportation as the main airline regulator.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>After repeated meetings with airline heads, Buttigieg did take action. In November 2022, the department\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/more-600-million-refunds-returned-airline-passengers-under-dot-rules-backed-new\">announced<\/a>\u00a0$7.25 million in fines to six airlines, who collectively paid back $600 million. But that quantity was just a small percentage of what the airlines owed, including none of the principal U.S. carriers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flying public is stuck with\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.senate.gov\/2023\/2\/sen-cruz-the-flying-public-is-stuck-with-a-self-regulating-and-flailing-agency-stuck-in-the-20th-century\">a self-regulating regulating and flailing agency<\/a>\u00a0stuck in the 20th century,\u201d Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Congress earlier this month, speaking of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is under Buttigieg\u2019s authority.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The expectation that the department won\u2019t get tougher is also a problem,\u00a0said Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door project.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you think that the Department of Transportation is a stringent enforcer, unfair and deceptive practices laws, you behave differently than if you think they\u2019re feckless,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some Biden agency heads have taken on a more confrontational role: like Lina Kahn,\u00a0chair\u00a0of the Federal Trade Commission, who has pushed aggressive antitrust action against Big Tech companies, or the Consumer Financial Services Bureau\u2019s\u00a0director\u00a0Rohit Chopra, who\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/about-us\/newsroom\/director-chopras-remarks-on-press-call-for-credit-card-late-fees-nprm\/\">has taken a strict line<\/a>\u00a0against bank and credit card late fees.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Transportation Department has taken some steps that suggest a new direction, the AFL-CIO\u2019s transportation director Regan said. In January, Amit Bose, head of the FRA,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/smart-union.org\/fra-letter-warns-rail-bosses-of-enforcement-measures-if-training-deficiencies-are-not-resolved\/\">wrote<\/a>\u00a0the nation\u2019s seven largest railways demanding that they be prepared to answer whether their personnel policy changes had led to decreased safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In his confrontation with the railways, Buttigieg could accomplish much by simply \u201cdoing the type of thing he\u2019s doing \u2014 but a more full throated version where he doesn\u2019t give the industry months to just diddle around,\u201d Gyauch-Lewis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg must move fast too, he argued: any new administrative rules will have to go through legal rule, and if not filed soon risk being still up in the air if a Republican administration takes office.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But regulatory reform will be far harder now than it would have been had Buttigieg played a more proactive role in East Palestine, former Republican National Committee communications director Douglas Heye told The Hill.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg\u2019s absence from East Palestine during the 20 days after the crash may have been typical behavior for a transportation secretary following a derailment \u2014 but it created a situation in which Republicans could tie his absence to a broader narrative around the town\u2019s abandonment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That failure in the theatrical aspect of his job \u2014 the duty to be seen on the scene, in a hardhat, directing resources \u2014 now hampers Buttigieg as he tries to take on the substantive parts, Heye said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegulation is sort of part of the conversation \u2014 but if they had gotten the politics right that would be the only part of the conversation,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause they got the politics wrong initially, people who might have listened are tuning them out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/3877199-buttigieg-gets-hit-from-right-left-in-east-palestine-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buttigieg gets hit from right, left in East Palestine crisis\u00a0 Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg is facing his hardest test in the Biden administration yet with the response to the East Palestine train derailment.\u00a0\u00a0 Buttigieg has already had a tough 2023 dealing with airline meltdowns and problems with the FAA.\u00a0\u00a0 Now he\u2019s the political figure under&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":557639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/51ce4ed46d064871a7e7ba71bf73fd6c.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134417,134343,140334,134661,124783,40445,115,86817,4965,140611],"class_list":["post-557638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-blog-briefing-room","tag-campaign","tag-east-palestine-train-derailment","tag-energy-environment","tag-international","tag-media","tag-news","tag-pete-buttigieg","tag-technology","tag-transportation-department"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/557639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=557638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=557638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}