The Republican National Committee is calling for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to resign.
The party made its comment in a Tuesday tweet. The GOP wrote: "Pete Buttigieg should resign."
Buttigieg has been under fire from critics who claim he was slow to respond to a train derailment last month in East Palestine, Ohio, in which toxic chemicals were released.
Buttigieg also was blamed for the messy holiday travel problems with Southwest Airlines that left thousands stranded, and for issues with the Federal Aviation Administration, which grounded flights for two hours for the first time in over 20 years.
The RNC's call for Buttigieg's resignation came after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said last month that Buttigieg should immediately resign after the Feb. 3 train derailment in Ohio.
Rubio said Buttigieg has "downplayed crisis after crisis while prioritizing topics of little relevance to our nation's transportation system … he continues to deflect any accountability for the safety of our nation's rail system. This is part of a two-year-long pattern."
Republicans claim Buttigieg never deserved the position and was given the job only because of his political profile.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told The Hill that Buttigieg is "not ready for the responsibilities he has."
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., tweeted: "Pete Buttigieg couldn't organize a one-car funeral. He was never remotely qualified for this role."
Progressives also took aim at Buttigieg. According to The Hill, the Progressive Change Committee slammed Buttigieg for "being silent for 10 days" after the derailment in Ohio.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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