Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called for secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg to resign over his handling of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

In a letter to President Joe Biden, Rubio requested for Buttigieg to resign because of his "gross level of incompetence and apathy that is detrimental to the safety and prosperity of the American people." The Florida Republican outlined Buttigieg's "refusal" to acknowledge the train derailment in East Palestine as well as other transportation crises.

Airline chaos, FAA meltdowns, trains derailing @POTUS what does @SecretaryPete have to do to get fired? pic.twitter.com/WCBAieBzbs

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 17, 2023

"For two years, Secretary Buttigieg downplayed and ignored crisis after crisis, while prioritizing topics of little relevance to our nation's transportation system. It is painfully clear to the American people that Secretary Buttigieg has little regard for the duties of the Secretary of Transportation," Rubio wrote.

"It is painfully clear to the American people that Secretary Buttigieg has little regard for the duties of the Secretary of Transportation," he added.

Buttigieg did not respond to the East Palestine train derailment until ten days after the train crash forced residents to evacuate the town as hazardous chemicals were released into the environment.

"Secretary Buttigieg refused to acknowledge the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio until his intentional ignorance was no longer tenable," Rubio wrote.

Furthermore, Rubio addressed the railroad strike that almost occurred in 2021, in which Buttigieg chose to travel to Portugal rather than respond to the issue.

"Amidst an impending possible rail strike last year, Secretary Buttigieg left the country to vacation in Portuguese wine country," he stated.

The secretary also witnessed the air travel shutdown in Florida that occurred in January 2023.

Rubio also alleged that Buttigieg "abused" taxpayer dollars by chartering private jets that are costlier than permitted in federal employee travel regulations.  He added that such acts in previous administrations led to resignations.

Rubio's criticisms reflect a growing tide of disappointment with Buttigieg's handling of his position.

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) have also expressed criticism of Buttigieg.

Rubio concluded by stating that a failure to dismiss Buttigieg would be a betrayal of Biden's inaugural promise.

"For two years, the transparency and accountability that you promised to obsessively uphold during your inauguration has been nowhere to be found," he wrote.

Image: Pete Buttigieg.  Via Flickr, public domain.