South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE (D) took aim at President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE in an interview published Friday, saying “the government’s been in some kind of crisis” ever since he came to the White House.
Buttigieg’s answer came when asked by CNBC’s John Harwood in an interview clip published on Friday about whether the government was in crisis given the number of acting heads at different agencies and the recent overhaul of leadership at the Department of Homeland Security.
“I think the government’s been in some kind of crisis ever since this president arrived,” Buttigieg responded.
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“Not just when you have a vacancy, but frankly sometimes when you have an appointee who was hostile to the mission of the agency that she or he is heading up,” he continued.
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Buttigieg also addressed the recent resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen NielsenKirstjen Michele NielsenHillicon Valley: Twitter falling short on pledge to verify primary candidates | Barr vows to make surveillance reforms after watchdog report | DHS cyber chief focused on 2020 Sen. Kennedy slams acting DHS secretary for lack of coronavirus answers The ‘accidental director’ on the front line of the fight for election security MORE, saying the issues were not so much about personnel, but the agency’s policies.
“In the case of DHS, that’s a little bit different,” Buttigieg said. “Many of the concerns around DHS are not so much about the personnel but about the policies. And when you talk about family separation, or just the unpreparedness for some of the issues at the border, that’s a concern.”
“Americans need our government to work,” he added, even as he noted there could be a debate about the government’s role or its size.
“But fundamentally, I’ll be run out of a town on a rail if I couldn’t run a government,” the mayor said. “And what we are seeing in Washington, it’s hard to sink a ship but they seem to be doing their best, and these vacancies are going to be more and more of a problem.”
Buttigieg added when it comes to the Trump administration it was a “choose your poison thing.”
“I don’t know what’s worse: them being well staffed and pursuing policies that are destructive, or them being hamstrung by the ability to do much at all because there are so many key positions that are vacant.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
Buttigieg’s comments come as the mayor is surging in several polls of early primary states. Buttigieg now sits in third place in Iowa, according to a recent poll, behind Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) and Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE, who has not yet announced a bid for the White House.