©  AP

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has pushed back after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized him for focusing on what the GOP leader called “woke initiatives” over the recent train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

“Even amidst a catalog of crises on his watch, from this and other recent train derailments to the meltdown in air travel back during the holiday season, Secretary Buttigieg has seemed more interested in pursuing press coverage for woke initiatives and climate nonsense than in attending to basic elements of his day job,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

Appearing on CNN on Tuesday, Buttigieg noted that McConnell was among the leaders on hand when President Biden visited a bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky in January to tout bipartisan infrastructure spending, saying he did not consider it a "woke initiative." 

The Transportation chief also called on the Senate GOP leader to "be a partner" to the administration in an effort to limit future rail disasters.

More from The Hill: Buttigieg gets hit from right, left in East Palestine crisis

Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Elizabeth Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will skip this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, a person familiar with the plans told The Hill.
  
  
• Republicans say Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 tapes are subject to security review.
  
  
• Three "Rust" crew members are suing actor Alec Baldwin over "blast injuries."

The debate over President Biden’s student loan relief for millions of Americans came to a head on Tuesday as Supreme Court justices grilled the administration and its challengers during oral arguments. 

The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday’s briefing on on the classified materials seized at Biden’s home and office and former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate “left much to be desired.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency has assessed that the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic was “most likely a potential lab incident” in Wuhan, China. Wray told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview on Tuesday that the FBI’s work on determining where the pandemic originated is continuing, but many details related to the investigation remain classified.

©  Greg Nash, The Hill

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says he will vote for a Republican resolution to block a D.C. crime law that would eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences, allow jury trials for misdemeanor offenses and reduce maximum sentences for crimes ranging from robberies to carjackings.

Twitter announced Tuesday it is rolling out a new policy to mitigate violent speech on the platform, which the company said will include zero tolerance for “severe cases.”

President Biden on Tuesday nominated Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su to be his next secretary of Labor, potentially making her his first Asian American Cabinet secretary.

"Reversing the overdose epidemic attack on America" — John Walters, president and CEO of the Hudson Institute. (Read here)

"China is missing an opportunity for leadership regarding Ukraine" — Aaron Rhodes, senior fellow with the Common Sense Society and president of the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe. (Read here)

9 days until President Biden unveils his budget plan for the next fiscal year.

616 days until the 2024 presidential election.

9 a.m.: The House Administration Committee will meet with heads of other committees on biennial funding requests.

10 a.m.: The Senate Budget Committee holds a hearing on the effects of climate change.

10 a.m.: Senate Agriculture Committee will have a hearing on the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill.

You're all caught up! Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend this newsletter to others: TheHill.com/Evening. See you tomorrow!