U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Ukraine on Wednesday to hold talks with Ukraine’s leaders on the recovery of the country’s transport infrastructure.
“From the time Russia launched its full-scale invasion, I’ve kept close contact with my Ukrainian counterpart about impacts to [sic] global supply chains, particularly port and rail infrastructure. Today, I’m in Kyiv to deliver on a top ask to place an infrastructure advisor here,” Buttigieg tweeted.
The advisor will “provide technical assistance on project delivery as part of the country’s rebuilding efforts,” he further tweeted.
Robert Mariner, a former U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy engineer and former advisor to the Transportation Counselor to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, will be the Transportation Advisor to Ukraine, according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) statement. The Department of State reportedly worked with the DOT to confirm Mariner’s appointment.
From the time Russia launched its full-scale invasion, I’ve kept close contact with my Ukrainian counterpart about impacts to global supply chains, particularly port and rail infrastructure. Today, I’m in Kyiv to deliver on a top ask to place an infrastructure advisor here.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) November 8, 2023
Mariner is saddled with the task of providing technical assistance and sharing best practices on transportation reforms and infrastructure project delivery toward a return to private-sector-led growth and economic recovery in Ukraine, the DOT statement noted.
Buttigieg’s travel comes just as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives moved Tuesday to slash his annual salary to $1 following an amendment proposed by Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to a bill proposing cuts to Amtrak, Business Insider reported.
“American taxpayers should not be on the hook for paying for his lavish trips or his salary,” Greene tweeted in part, while also claiming her amendment aimed to get Buttigieg fired. (RELATED: Nicolle Wallace Says Pete Buttigieg Is A ‘Skilled’ Messenger For The White House)
🚨 BREAKING: I’m proud to announce my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg just PASSED the House.
Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards for the way certain people have sex.
American taxpayers should not… pic.twitter.com/9fq9XrXLV2
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 7, 2023
Buttigieg took considerable flak from House Republicans over his delayed response to the Feb. 3 toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and came under an internal DOT investigation over his use of government airplanes.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden announced $16.4 billion in new funding Monday for projects along Amtrak‘s busy Northwest Corridor, as part of the Bipartisan Investment Deal for rebuilding the country’s infrastructure passed Nov. 6, 2021 by Congress, exactly two years from Biden’s announcement.