Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday criticized tech giant Elon Musk for falsely claiming the federal government was blocking delivery flights to Hurricane Helen victims.
Musk posted a screenshot of a conversation with someone who said airspace was “closed” and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was “curtailing flights.”
“The level of incompetence of this belligerent government is staggering!!” Musk wrote to his followers.
About an hour later, Buttigieg responded to his claims, calling them inaccurate.
“No one is closing airspace, and the FAA is not blocking legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you have a problem, please call me,” Buttigieg said.
After the public conversation, Musk posted a message thanking Buttigieg for speaking with him offline.
“Thank you for your call. I hope we can resolve this soon,” Musk replied vaguely, leaving people wondering what happened.
Musk is an avid supporter of former President Trump and has poured millions of dollars into the Republican Party since 2022. Since the Category 4 storm made landfall, Mr. Musk has offered to provide Mr. Trump with Starlink internet service to enhance rescue efforts.
The Secretary is working on the ground to facilitate Tennessee's recovery efforts. While there, he met with Gov. Bill Lee (R), who serves as president of the Republican Governors Association.
“I've seen a lot in the four years I've been in this job, but I've never seen anything like the devastation that we're seeing in this region, in parts of Tennessee and North Carolina. It's actually been six, seven years,' states have been facing this,'' Buttigieg said in an interview with 6News. “And my heart goes out to so many people who have been affected, many of them in remote areas, in mountainous areas, in places where bridges have been washed away and there are no available bridges next to them, or in places where they have no recourse. These roads will take you to your destination. ”
