>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY
FRIENDS. WELCOME BACK.
MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS THE SECRETARY
OF TRANSPORTATION. PLEASE WELCOME
SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG! MR. SECRETARY, THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE. WON'T YOU PLEASE?
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
BACK. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO TALK
TO YOU. OBVIOUSLY SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY YOU ARE THE FATHER
OF 2-YEAR-OLD TWINS GUS AND PENELOPE.
I'LL BE SICK MY FIRST QUESTION, MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION, IS WHAT
DID THEY DRESS UP AS FOR HALLOWEEN?
>> Secretary Buttigieg: GUS WENT, KIND OF LIKE A DINOSAUR
MONSTER COMBO. THREE EYES, BASICALLY A
DINOSAUR. PENELOPE, WE COULDN'T HER INTO
COSTUME SHE LIKED. WE SETTLED ON A COSTUME FROM THE
MOVIE ENCANTO. CHASTEN WAS GETTING THEM INTO
COSTUMES. GODDESS HAD A FULL ON REBELLION.
COULDN'T GET HIM INTO THE COSTUME BUT DID DEVELOP AN
INTEREST IN CANDY. >> Stephen: TERRIBLE TWOS,
REFINING THE STRUGGLE? >> Secretary Buttigieg: YEAH.
BUT THEY ARE ALSO HILARIOUS. FUN AND INTERESTING.
IT'S GETTING HARDER BUT GETTING MORE FUN AND REWARDING.
THEY ARE MORE AND MORE HUMAN. >> Stephen: THEY GET STRONGER
TOO. >> Secretary Buttigieg: YES.
I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH PHYSICAL RESTRAINT AND
REDIRECTION WAS PART OF PARENTING AT THIS AGE.
>> Stephen: SURE. I LIKE TO ADVISE NEW PARENTS,
AND MIND THEIR SMALL BUT RELENTLESS OPPONENTS.
THEY ONLY GET MORE ENERGY AS THEY GET OLDER.
YOU GET LESS. >> Secretary Buttigieg: AND
THEY ARE GETTING SMARTER. THEY HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO
DEFEAT THE BABY GATE. THEY HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO
LOCK THE DOOR TO THE BATHROOM WHICH IS AN UNFORTUNATE
DEVELOPMENT DURING BATH TIME WHEN THEY LOCKED US OUT.
I WAS CONFIDENT I WAS SMARTER THAN THEM AND NOW EACH PASSING
DAY. >> Stephen: YOU BANG ON THE
DOOR AND GO "LET ME IN! I AM A RHODES SCHOLAR!"
>> Secretary Buttigieg: THEY DON'T CARE.
>> Stephen: SPEAKING OF 2-YEAR-OLD, COMING UP ON THE
SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF BIDEN'S HISTORIC INFRASTRUCTURE BILL.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] HOW MUCH OF THAT $1.2 TRILLION
IS LEFT TO SPEND? AND HOW MUCH OF IT IS BEING
SPENT ON SIGNS LIKE THIS? WHERE IT SAYS "PROJECT FUNDED BY
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL?"
I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN THESE KIND OF SCIENCE.
IF THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY, WE GET TO
KNOW WHERE IT'S BEING SPENT. I LIKE THIS SORT OF PUBLIC --
>> Secretary Buttigieg: THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION, THE
TRANSPORTATION PIECE FROM ABOUT HALF THE BILL.
200 BILLION SO FAR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN PROJECTS.
WE ARE RIGHT ON TRACK. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.
SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM MY PARTY, LITTLE
TOO SUBTLE HERE WE CAN'T BE SUBTLE ABOUT THIS.
PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW IF YOU LIKE THAT AIRPORT BEING FIXED IN YOUR
COMMUNITY OR THE BRIDGE IT'S GETTING REDONE NEAR YOU OR THE
TRANSIT IS COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT'S THERE
BECAUSE JOE BIDEN GOT THIS BILL DONE.
>> Stephen: ACTUALLY THINK EVEN BEYOND.
OBVIOUSLY I'M A FAN OF JOE BIDEN AND THE IDEA OF THE
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL BUT I THINK BEYOND THAT, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
FOR THE -- A CYNICAL PUBLIC OR PORTION OF
THE PUBLIC THAT IS CYNICAL TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE GOVERNMENT
CAN DO THINGS. THERE ARE SOME PROJECTS, SOME
THINGS SO BIG THAT YOU WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO BE EMPOWERED TO DO
IT. >> Secretary Buttigieg:
ABSOLUTELY, THEN YOU BUILD PUBLIC TRUST BY GETTING THESE
BIG THINGS DONE. AMERICA HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT ITS
BEST WHEN WE SET OUT TO DO BIG THINGS.
THE FACT THAT IT WAS DONE ON A NOT EVERYBODY BUT WE GOT A GOOD
NUMBER OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON REPUBLCAN SENATORS TO CROSS
OVER AND WORK WITH THE RESIDENT TO GET THIS DONE AT A TIME WHEN
PEOPLE SAID THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. BEFORE HE GOT THE BILL PASSED,
SO MANY PEOPLE WROTE THE POLITICAL OBITUARY OF THAT BILL
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. WE GOT IT DONE IN A TIME THAT'S
CHAOTIC, SOMETIMES EVEN BLINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE
NEWS STORIES OUT THERE. IT'S AN IMPORTANT REMINDER THAT
YES, WE CAN GET BIG GOOD THINGS DONE.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Stephen: YOU'RE IN
NEW YORK CITY RIGHT NOW TO ANNOUNCE TWO PROJECTS.
WHAT ARE THOSE? >> Secretary Buttigieg: BOTH
OF THESE ARE LONG TIME COMING AND WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT
THEM. STARTING CONSTRUCTION ON THE
HUDSON RIVER TUNNEL. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WHEN I CAME
ON THE SHOW BEFORE. AS I SAID, SOME OF THE FINEST
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF THE TEDDY ROOSEVELT YEARS REALLY HAS
NEEDED TO BE REDONE. LITERALLY, IT'S 100 YEARS OLD.
>> Stephen: THE 1900s. >> Secretary Buttigieg: WE ARE
ADVANCING THAT THROUGH THE FUNDS OF THE PRESIDENTS INFORMATION
FOR BILL AND THEN THE SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY.
EXTENDING THAT TO 125TH STREET, SERVING PEOPLE IN HARLEM WHO
DESERVE GOOD TRANSLATE JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER NEW YORKER.
FINALLY ABLE TO GET THAT DONE. >> Stephen: BRIDGES AND
TUNNELS TAKE A LONG TIME TO BUILD.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY IS ALLOCATED WITHOUT
CORRUPTION AND NOT MISUSED AND HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT THESE
PROJECTS GET FINISHED? THEY TAKE A LONG TIME.
YOU MAY BE OUT OF OFFICE. HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THIS GETS
FINISHED EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT THERE.
>> Secretary Buttigieg: SOME OF THESE PROJECTS CAN BE DONE IN
ONE CONSTRUCTION SEASON. OTHERS ARE LIKE CATHEDRALS.
THOSE WHO START AREN'T ALWYS THE ONE WHO FINISHED.
EVEN LIKE THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED NO ON THIS BILL, TRIED
TO STOP IT, TRIED TO BLOCK IT, CALLED IT SOCIALISM.
WHEN IT COMES TO ANY ACTUAL SPECIFIC PROJECT, THEY ARE FIRST
IN LINE TO BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE IT.
>> Stephen: THEY WILL CUT THE RIBBON.
>> Secretary Buttigieg: ABSOLUTELY.
OUR JOB WAS TO LINE UP THE FUNDING AND THEIR STRICT
OVERSIGHT TO MAKE SURE IT'S SPENT IN TRANSPARENT AND FAIR
AND CREDIBLE WAYS. IMPORTANTLY EVEN THE EVIL WHO
WERE THERE WITH US POLITICALLY UNDERSTAND THE PORTS OF THE
PROJECTS THEY ARE RIGHT THERE TO SUPPORT THEM GETTING DONE.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
STICK AROUND. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE
SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG, EVERYBODY.