Despite these stated goals, Mr. Buttigieg is constrained. Any hopes to significantly overhaul the nation’s infrastructure — which has become a perennial joke on Capitol Hill — would require significant negotiation with federal lawmakers. “I think he’s got the skills,” said Beth Osborne, the director of Transportation For America, an advocacy group. “The question is: How much priority are these things going to get and will the White House give him backing?”Timing is also an issue. Ray LaHood, President Barack Obama’s secretary of transportation from 2009 to 2013, said that getting transportation reform through Congress would require Mr. Buttigieg to develop relationships with Washington lawmakers, and noted this was an area where Mr. Buttigieg had “some work to do.”

Source: New York Times February 06, 2021 16:10 UTC