WASHINGTON—Former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg pledged Thursday his support for President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure-rebuilding plan during a confirmation hearing before a Senate panel.
The $2 trillion target is tied to Mr. Biden’s goal to use climate change as a wedge for economic development, focused on rebuilding roads and bridges and expanding zero-emission mass transit and electric-car infrastructure. In all, the administration seeks to spend $7 trillion over a decade to combat climate change, his campaign and third-party experts have said.
Mr. Buttigieg, Mr. Biden’s nominee to lead the Transportation Department, told the Senate Commerce Committee that he would pursue the administration’s goals to drive federal spending on roads, rails and bridges.
“This is our opportunity to literally do the building part in ‘Build Back Better,’” Mr. Buttigieg said, alluding to Mr. Biden’s campaign slogan.
Republicans, now in the Congressional minority, have begun to express skepticism about federal spending after four years of relatively robust highway spending packages under the Trump administration.
