Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has a message for anyone who says America can't afford good roads, schools, and health care: don't buy it. In a speech and subsequent post on X Tuesday, Buttigieg argued that the world's richest nation has plenty of resources — it's just a matter of how we choose to use them.
"Don't let anyone tell us we can't have nice things — like good roads, schools and health care — as if the world's richest nation couldn't possibly afford it," he wrote, sharing a clip of his remarks.
In the video, Buttigieg said the country's wealth should allow for greater investment in areas like health care, education, and infrastructure. "Nobody who really stops and thinks about it can accept us being told we can't have nice things like rural hospitals and good roads and great schools and child care," he said.
The real problem, he argued, isn't a lack of money — it's how the country distributes its wealth. Buttigieg took aim at the tax system, pointing out that wealthy Americans can pay a lower effective tax rate than some workers who provide essential services. "People know that we can do better than that and I think people know that we can have a better future than the one that we're in," he said.
Buttigieg's comments come amid a broader debate over taxing the ultra-wealthy. Earlier, economist Justin Wolfers argued that President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Act permanently benefited wealthy Americans while temporary tax breaks for tips, overtime, and Social Security would expire after 2028. He also said tariffs disproportionately hurt working-class Americans.
On the legislative front, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have proposed reviving the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act, which would tax fortunes above $50 million. Supporters estimate it could raise $6.2 trillion over a decade to fund programs including universal child care, free community college, and Medicare expansion.
Not everyone is on board. Kevin O'Leary rejected higher taxes on billionaires as a solution, arguing that government inefficiency is the bigger problem. He echoed Jeff Bezos' view that higher taxes wouldn't fix deeper issues. But former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio disagreed, saying billionaires should contribute more to improve the lives of working Americans.
The debate is far from settled, but Buttigieg's message is clear: America can afford to invest in its people — if it chooses to.
