Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Defends Taking Parental Leave Amid Supply-Chain Crisis

© REUTERS / LEAH MILLISU.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg prepares to give a live interview to the news media outside of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 13, 2021.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg prepares to give a live interview to the news media outside of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 13, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.10.2021
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The former presidential candidate, who has been on parental leave since mid-August, warned, however, that supply chain bottlenecks are likely to continue through the holidays.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has defended going on paternity leave despite the crippling supply chain crisis that has left cargo ships anchored offshore at US ports.
In response to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who earlier mocked the Biden administration official for "trying to figure out how to breastfeed," Buttigieg insisted that it’s “not a vacation, it’s work.”

“I’m not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else for taking care of our premature twins,“ Buttigieg told CNN's “State of the Union.“

“The work we are doing is joyful, fulfilling, important work, it’s important work and it’s work that every American ought to be able to do when they welcome a new child into their family,“ he added.
At the same time, he hinted that the supply chain crisis is expected to drag on beyond the holiday season.
“A lot of the challenges that we’ve been experiencing this year will continue into next year, but there are both short-term and long-term steps that we can take to do something about,” Buttigieg said.
On Wednesday, Buttigieg said Biden's infrastructure proposals that Congress is working through could also help mitigate global supply chain issues. However, these measures are unlikely to alleviate bottlenecks in a timely manner because of the damage inflicted by years of economic offshoring and privatization, experts told Sputnik.
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