Republican bill in Senate would stop Buttigieg from flying on taxpayer-funded private jets

A new bill introduced by Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) would prevent Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg from flying on private jets paid for by taxpayers, as he is currently doing regularly.

"Secretary Buttigieg seems averse to traveling on the very commercial airlines that his department oversees. It’s far past time that Secretary Buttigieg travel commercially instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on private jet flights," Schmitt told Fox News Digital.

Schmitt also said the bill fixes a "loophole" that makes some of the transportation costs seem lower than they actually are because of a cost-calculating policy the agency uses.

Transportation Department officials could still fly on private jets in emergencies or if the flight would cost at least 5% less than flying commercial.

Fox News Digital reported at the end of last year that Buttigieg had flown on private jets at least 18 times during his time in office.

Those decisions fly in the face of his purported beliefs that carbon emissions need to be lowered.