- Pete Buttigieg says he and Elon Musk had a chat about Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
- That call proved “the best thing to do is just to pick up the phone,” Buttigieg said on MSNBC.
- The government has used Musk’s Starlink satellites to provide internet access in hurricane-affected areas.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he had a call with Elon Musk, despite their differences — because sometimes, it’s just better to get on the horn with someone and clear things up.
On Friday, Buttigieg refuted a series of claims made by the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Musk had in an X post accused the government of closing the airspace in Asheville, North Carolina, to block recovery efforts.
Musk also blamed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s disaster relief group, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Buttigieg responded to Musk, writing: “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”
The two men then had a chat via phone call, Buttigieg confirmed in an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki released on Sunday.
“He called,” Buttigieg told Psaki. “We had a conversation.”
Buttigieg told MSNBC that some of the confusion on X stemmed from Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), a move by the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure safety for aircraft conducting Hurricane Helene rescue and recovery activities.
Buttigieg said, however, he and Musk managed to get to the bottom of what was happening, and sort out problems for pilots helping to get Starlink equipment to disaster-hit areas.
“We were able to take care of it,” Buttigieg said. “And, I think, to me it’s an example of how often the best thing to do is just to pick up the phone.”
Later on Friday, Musk had a more positive tone while replying to a post from Buttigieg on X about the government delivering additional emergency relief to South Carolina.
Musk said, “Thanks for expediting approval for support flights. Just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball.”
Buttigieg replied, writing: “Glad we could address — thanks for engaging.”
Musk and Buttigieg have had public disagreements over everything from tax credits for electric vehicles to the safety of driverless cars.
Lately, Musk has also been slamming the FAA, accusing it of playing favorites with Boeing instead of giving SpaceX equal treatment. The FAA falls under the Department of Transportation.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on September 26 and swept through Georgia and the Carolinas, causing widespread damage. Moody’s Analytics projected that damage from the disaster could cost the US up to $34 billion, with estimated property damage ranging from $15 billion to $26 billion.
FEMA has deployed Starlink satellites made by Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX, to areas that needed internet access after the hurricane, the agency said in a press release on September 30.
Representatives of the Department of Transportation and Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside business hours.
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