“Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he had a call with Elon Musk, despite their differences \u2014 because sometimes, it’s just better to get on the horn with someone and clear things up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Friday, Buttigieg refuted a series of claims made by the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Musk had in an X post<\/a> accused the government of closing the airspace in Asheville, North Carolina, to block recovery efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk also blamed<\/a> the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s disaster relief group, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two men then had a chat via phone call, Buttigieg confirmed in an interview<\/a> with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki released on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “He called,” Buttigieg told Psaki. “We had a conversation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buttigieg told MSNBC that some of the confusion on X stemmed from Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs),<\/a> a move by the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure safety for aircraft conducting Hurricane Helene rescue and recovery activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later on Friday, Musk had a more positive tone while replying to a post from Buttigieg<\/a> on X about the government delivering additional emergency relief to South Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk said, “Thanks for expediting approval for support flights. Just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buttigieg replied, writing: “Glad we could address \u2014 thanks for engaging.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk and Buttigieg have had public disagreements<\/a> over everything from tax credits for electric vehicles to the safety of driverless cars.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n