Pete Buttigieg has been confirmed as the US secretary of transportation.

The former small-city mayor and Joe Biden's one-time rival for the White House will head the Department of Transportation, including its shipping responsibilities.

Buttigieg, 39, was approved by the full Senate on Tuesday two weeks after receiving bipartisan approval from its Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

There, he stated his support for the Jones Act, the law requiring all ships carrying cargo between US ports to be primarily built, owned, flagged and crewed domestically.