AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
- Rep. Lauren Boebert criticized Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for taking several months of parental leave.
- To back up her point, she said she gave birth to one of her children in the front seat of her truck.
- Boebert accused Buttigieg of abandoning the nation during an ongoing supply chain crisis.
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert said she delivered one of her four children in the front seat of her truck, comparing her parenthood to that of Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg's as she criticized him for taking paternity leave during the supply chain crisis.
"I delivered one of my children in the front seat of my truck. Because as a mom of four, we got things to do," said Boebert in a video bulletin posted Monday by her YouTube account.
"Ain't nobody got time for two and a half months of maternity leave. We have a world to save here," she added.
Boebert blasted Buttigieg, who is gay and announced in August that he would take two months of paternity leave after adopting newborn twins. She said Americans would "know who to blame" if the supply chain crisis affects Christmas celebrations.
"The guy in charge of it all, Mayor Pete, was on a two-month maternity, paternity, whatever the heck you want to call it, leave. Okay, the guy was gone. The guy was not working," said Boebert.
"Because why? He was trying to figure out how to chest feed," she added, referring to a joke FOX News host Tucker Carlson made last month mocking Buttigieg.
Buttigieg has responded to criticism of his parental leave by saying the time with his family is "work," per The New York Times.
"The big thing is having a newly personal appreciation for the fact that this is work," Buttigieg said. "It may be time away from a professional role, but it's very much time on."
The White House has voiced its support for Buttigieg, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeting that the transportation head is one of the "role models on the importance of paid leave for new parents."
Studies have found that parental leave programs benefit the economy, improve children's health and reduce infant mortality rates, and prepare fathers for parenting.