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Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg returned to Iowa Tuesday in what was his first political public appearance since the Biden Administration left office in January. Buttigieg, a former intelligence officer in the Navy Reserves who served in Afghanistan, headlined a town hall in Cedar Rapids. It was organized by the progressive political action committee VoteVets. Buttigieg spoke for about 20 minutes to start off his portion of the town hall. He touched on a number of topics in that time: his time in Iowa during the 2020 Democratic presidential caucuses, his trip to Cedar Rapids as transportation secretary when the city’s airport was expanding, and his family. The former U.S. transportation secretary also criticized President Donald Trump’s administration and decisions being made. “We’re going to need everybody in this community and every community who recognizes the fundamental nature of this country and the fact that it is facing its most profound test in generations,” said Buttigieg. “We are being tested on nothing less than whether the United States of America is in fact the freedom-loving people that we believe and know ourselves to be. Let us meet that test.” Buttigieg also answered questions from the crowd, some of which included what the Democratic Party needs to do moving forward.“Democrats do not have the best brand around here and a lot of places. There’s a lot of reasons for that: some fair, some unfair,” said Buttigieg in front of a packed room. “I think the most important thing is that we connect everything we believe, everything we say, everything we do to everyday life. I’m convinced the only reason we have politics—the one reason politics is worth being involved in—is because of how every decision that happens in a big white building in Washington D.C. finds its way into our everyday lives.” Buttigieg also touched on how Veterans Affairs services are being impacted right now. During the Q&A portion of the town hall, he answered a question from a veteran who works for the VA about how to mitigate proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.“The most important thing right now is to apply pressure to anybody who's in a position to deal with it, and here enter the United States Congress. Right now, we may not be seeing a huge amount of courage from the President’s allies in the United States Congress,” said Buttigieg. “But I think many of them—including some who represent this area and this state—are already aware of two things: one that these cuts are wrong and two, that these cuts are unpopular.” The campaigns of both Republican Congresswomen Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks shared statements with ����vlog, which can be found below. Hinson Campaign: “We don’t need the people who lied to Iowans and covered up Joe Biden’s decline while destroying our country to come lecture us about taking care of our veterans. Pete Buttigieg can lie and fear-monger all he wants, but Iowans know President Trump and Ashley will always support our veterans, protect their benefits, and ensure they receive the care they deserve. Iowans resoundingly rejected Biden and his allies, who ruined our country. They’ll reject Mayor Pete’s lies, too. Ashley Hinson has delivered for our veterans time and again - passing legislation to help expand mental health access for vets in rural areas, helping connect veterans with service dogs, and ensuring veterans receive service medals they are owed.”Miller-Meeks Campaign: "Failed presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was part of the disastrous Biden-Harris agenda that drove up inflation, supported men in women's sports, and lost Iowa by 13 points in 2024."Iowans will reject progressive Pete, stand with President Trump, and tell Democrats to go pound Sand."