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Pete Buttigieg's lessons learned about parental leave
In the fall of 2021, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, became parents overnight.
After adopting infant twins, Buttegieg became the first out gay parent in the US cabinet. Because of the unique circumstances, Buttigieg was also the first US cabinet secretary ever to take parental leave.
On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Buttigieg spoke about the lessons he’s learned since becoming a parent and the advice he has for other senior government officials and private sector executives who are planning to start families.
“You need to have time, not just for connecting with your child, but also for adjusting your life and supporting your spouse,” Buttigieg told Bremmer, “You should have the policy and the means to be able to take care of your family … and return to the office ready to do your job with a whole new perspective.”
The secretary also spoke about the decision to relocate his family to northern Michigan and whether he’s thinking about political life beyond his role in President Biden’s cabinet. Could the move have anything to do with Michigan’s possible open Senate seat going forward?
Watch the full episode of GZERO world: The road to repair: Pete Buttigieg & crumbling US infrastructure
The road to repair: Pete Buttigieg & crumbling US infrastructure
There's no sugarcoating it. America needs work. Not just when it comes to the state of democracy, either. A 2022 report found that 43,000 US bridges are “structurally deficient.” The report also found that those same bridges are crossed 168 million times a day. At the current rate, it would take 30 years to fix all of the country’s structurally deficient bridges. Do you feel lucky?
It's not a question Americans particularly want to ask themselves on every morning commute or summer road trip. The richest country in the history of the world should be able to keep its infrastructure updated and its roads intact. Globally, of course, the number of faulty bridges is much higher, but at least here in the United States, things may be starting to change. On November 6, 2021, Congress passed the Biden administration’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $550 billion for America’s roads, bridges, mass transit, rail, airports, and ports. On GZERO World, Secretary Pete Buttigieg discusses what he has called "the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the Interstate highway system."
As we all know, allocating the money is only half the battle. Ensuring it’s spent correctly is where the...rubber meets the road. In a wide-ranging interview with Ian Bremmer, Secretary Buttigieg addresses pressing news, from the debt ceiling showdown in DC to the latest revelations following February's East Palestine train derailment. They also look big-picture at US infrastructure's role in foreign policy and where China's global aspirations clash with America's manufacturing concerns. Oh, and they talk 2024, of course, and about why the Secretary recently changed his permanent address from Indiana to that swing state, Michigan.
- Hard Numbers: Southwest Airlines facing fines, Ukrainian casualties, Ethiopia-Tigray flights, Iranians facing execution ›
- Podcast: Rebuilding American infrastructure with Pete Buttigieg ›
- Electric vehicle wars ›
- Biden: We must ‘finish the job’ of repairing US economy ›
- Episode 1: What infrastructure spending means for you ›
- Ian Explains: Will US infrastructure finally be fixed? - GZERO Media ›
- Pete Buttigieg's lessons learned about parental leave - GZERO Media ›
- Who's responsible for the East Palestine train disaster? - GZERO Media ›
- US summer travel may be easier than you think, says Pete Buttigieg - GZERO Media ›
Paid parental leave policies in the world's top 10 economies
The Graphic Truth: Who beats the US on paid parental leave?
The US is the world's largest economy. It's also the only one among the top 10 that has no national paid parental leave scheme. If you or your partner have a baby in the US the message is clear: you're on your own. Compare that to many European countries, which offer cushy paid leave schemes for new parents – more generously for women. Even countries that don't have a robust social safety net offer paid parental leave in some form. We take a look at how the US stacks up on paid parental leave (or lack thereof) compared to the world's largest economies.