Pete Buttigieg said on Sunday that a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel wasn't necessary because of current COVID-19 strategies.
"When it comes to domestic travel, we found other strategies are highly effective, including masks and those protections," Buttigieg said.
He said during an interview with Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" that the travel industry and vaccine companies are creating a safe travel environment for Americans.
The vaccine is not required for domestic air travel, but all federal workers will be required to be inoculated on Monday. Buttigieg did not believe that the mandate would cause travel delays.
Insider previously reported that Democratic lawmakers urged President Joe Biden in a letter to require all airline passengers to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a domestic flight.
The 30 Democrats wrote a letter on November 11 saying that this was a necessary step towards making Americans feel safe and confident while traveling.
Buttigieg said that what they're doing right now is to make air travel safe.
He said that the vaccine is required for international air travel. The White House said that beginning November 8, non-citizen, non-immigrant air travelers were required to show proof of vaccine.
Major airlines began requiring masks on flights last year, but masks have been required on all transit since February 1. Flight crews and unruly passengers who refuse to wear masks have had a number of contentious incidents.
