Pete Buttigieg was approved by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday as transportation secretary with bipartisan support, marking the first-time ever an openly gay person was confirmed to a Cabinet-level position and a long overdue achievement for the LGBTQ community.
The February 2 vote to confirm Buttigieg, 39, the former South Bend mayor who was nominated by President Joe Biden after making waves in the 2020 Democratic primary as an openly gay candidate, was 86-13.
The Senate technically hadn't been officially called as of the time of this posting, but Buttigieg as of 1 p.m. (Eastern) was beyond the majority threshold needed for confirmation.