East Central Reporter

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) is seeking an investigation into the jet usage of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Taxpayers deserve to know where Secretary Pete was jetting off to on a private jet while the rest of us were dealing with canceled and delayed flights,” Miller said on Facebook. “I introduced an amendment this week to obtain the flight logs of the Transportation Secretary’s private taxpayer-funded jet. I will not back down in our fight against the swamp!” 

Miller’s statement comes as a bill aimed at compelling Buttigieg to disclose his government jet usage was defeated, with 10 House Republicans joining Democrats to sink the legislation, Fox News reported. The bill's defeat came after reports that Buttigieg had taken at least 18 flights using taxpayer-funded private jets, prompting a watchdog group to sue the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for transparency regarding the true cost of these flights. Despite this setback, the House overwhelmingly passed FAA reauthorization legislation in a 351-69 vote.

Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, the non-profit pursuing the litigation, argued that "FAA has stonewalled and refused to adhere to the law for releasing public records," reason why they are "filing suit on behalf of all Americans who deserve to know how their money is being spent by this administration.” She mentioned, "Buttigieg abused taxpayer dollars by using a private jet to fly domestically and internationally," according to the Washington Examiner.

The group had filed three information requests over the past eight months, seeking details about Buttigieg's use of taxpayer-funded private flights, but the FAA repeatedly delayed providing the requested records, leading to the lawsuit.

Miller represents Illinois' 15th Congressional District which covers a significant portion of Central Illinois, encompassing the counties of Calhoun, Jersey, Greene, Pike, Scott, Morgan, Cass, Brown, Adams, Schuyler, Menard, Mason, Hancock, Henderson, Logan, DeWitt, Edgar, Douglas, Moultrie, Shelby, Christian, Montgomery, Fayette, and Bond. Additionally, it includes the majority of Madison, Macon, McDonough, Champaign, and Warren Counties, about half of Sangamon, Piatt, and Coles Counties, and a part of Vermillion County.