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.

Here's what's happening.

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.

https://t.co/fs0gmeoJfL
Now, Buttigieg's Department of Transportation will get to pick and choose which projects to back.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
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.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
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.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
The bill also marks a new phase of Buttigieg's political career and his most significant accomplishment in public life so far.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
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.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
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.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
Still, the dollar amounts attached to the bipartisan infrastructure deal are so significant they have become a matter of consternation among Congressional Republicans.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
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."

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
That means taking on a job as transportation secretary that is typically handled by presidents, or in some cases even ex-presidents.

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf
Subscribe to Insider to read more about Buttigieg and the infrastructure bill. 👇

https://t.co/ifVDN4axFf

More from All

You May Also Like

The first ever world map was sketched thousands of years ago by Indian saint
“Ramanujacharya” who simply translated the following verse from Mahabharat and gave the world its real face

In Mahabharat,it is described how 'Maharishi Ved Vyasa' gave away his divine vision to Sanjay


Dhritarashtra's charioteer so that he could describe him the events of the upcoming war.

But, even before questions of war could begin, Dhritarashtra asked him to describe how the world looks like from space.

This is how he described the face of the world:

सुदर्शनं प्रवक्ष्यामि द्वीपं तु कुरुनन्दन। परिमण्डलो महाराज द्वीपोऽसौ चक्रसंस्थितः॥
यथा हि पुरुषः पश्येदादर्शे मुखमात्मनः। एवं सुदर्शनद्वीपो दृश्यते चन्द्रमण्डले॥ द्विरंशे पिप्पलस्तत्र द्विरंशे च शशो महान्।

—वेद व्यास, भीष्म पर्व, महाभारत


Meaning:-

हे कुरुनन्दन ! सुदर्शन नामक यह द्वीप चक्र की भाँति गोलाकार स्थित है, जैसे पुरुष दर्पण में अपना मुख देखता है, उसी प्रकार यह द्वीप चन्द्रमण्डल में दिखायी देता है। इसके दो अंशो मे पीपल और दो अंशो मे विशाल शश (खरगोश) दिखायी देता है।


Meaning: "Just like a man sees his face in the mirror, so does the Earth appears in the Universe. In the first part you see leaves of the Peepal Tree, and in the next part you see a Rabbit."

Based on this shloka, Saint Ramanujacharya sketched out the map, but the world laughed
“We don’t negotiate salaries” is a negotiation tactic.

Always. No, your company is not an exception.

A tactic I don’t appreciate at all because of how unfairly it penalizes low-leverage, junior employees, and those loyal enough not to question it, but that’s negotiation for you after all. Weaponized information asymmetry.

Listen to Aditya


And by the way, you should never be worried that an offer would be withdrawn if you politely negotiate.

I have seen this happen *extremely* rarely, mostly to women, and anyway is a giant red flag. It suggests you probably didn’t want to work there.

You wish there was no negotiating so it would all be more fair? I feel you, but it’s not happening.

Instead, negotiate hard, use your privilege, and then go and share numbers with your underrepresented and underpaid colleagues. […]