The Federal Aviation Administration has operated without a Senate-approved administrator for nearly a year – prompting more criticism and questions surrounding its improper handling of air travel breakdowns in recent months.
Both the House and Senate are concerned that there has been a gap in leadership at the FAA, particularly after last month’s Southwest debacle and a computer glitch that caused nationwide flights to be canceled for several hours on Wednesday morning.
Senator Ted Cruz, who holds the top GOP position on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in the new Congress, said in a statement Thursday that the FAA’s errors represent the larger “dysfunction” within Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation .
A spokesman for House Transportation Chairman Sam Graves told the congressman was “very concerned” about the failure to find a confirmed FAA administrator.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has operated without a Senate-approved administrator for nearly a year — prompting more criticism of the agency’s and the Department of Transportation’s recent failures overall. Many claim that Biden’s pick Phillip Washington (pictured) does not have the experience needed to run the FAA and is now embroiled in a scandal
“There’s been a collective drain of experience there in recent years that needs to be addressed, but the Administrator obviously has the highest priority,” a spokesman for House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves told
“There has been a collective loss of experience there in recent years that needs to be addressed, but the admin obviously has the highest priority,” the spokesman added.
Joe Biden’s choice to head the FAA is Denver International Airport Chief Executive Phil Washington. The President appointed Washington to head the agency last month.
However, Washington has been criticized by Republicans after he was named on a search warrant linking him to corruption allegations at Los Angeles County’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Washington has denied wrongdoing. Previously, he was CEO of the Los Angeles public transportation system.
Currently, Billy Nolen, the FAA’s chief flight safety officer, is temporarily running the agency pending an administrator’s confirmation. He was named acting administrator in April 2022 after Trump-nominated administrator Steve Dickson resigned in late March, halfway through his five-year term.
During a committee hearing last year, before he rose to the ranks, Cruz said of Washington’s nomination, “Even if the government finally sends us a candidate for FAA administrator, they’re sending someone with almost zero aviation experience — a requirement for the job — and who has highlighted the recent news has more than just a bit of scandal surrounding him.’
Senator Ted Cruz will serve as the GOP-ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation tasked with confirming an FAA administrator. He said Washington had “almost no aviation experience”
The Federal Aviation Administration’s system, which sends pilots safety alerts and other vital information, disrupted this week, causing all departing flights to be grounded for hours on Wednesday morning – and delayed and canceled on Thursday
Sen. Roger Wicker, whom Cruz is taking on as the senior member of the committee that oversees the DOT and would have to confirm the FAA administrator, was also highly critical of Washington when he was first nominated last year.
Wicker has criticized Washington’s support due to his lack of experience in the airline industry – as well as the aforementioned warrant.
Bully Nolen has served as acting FAA administrator since the Trump-appointed chief resigned in March 2022, halfway through his five-year tenure
The warrant was issued in the fall following complaints from whistleblowers, demanding more information related to possible contracting preference at the LA Metro Transit Authority after she led the group for six years.
Washington was appointed last year to his current role as CEO of Denver International Airport, the third-busiest airport in the world.
He also led the transition team for the Biden-Harris Department of Transportation and served as co-chair of their administration’s Infrastructure Policy Committee.
After a series of breakdowns related to air travel and other travel over the past two years, the FAA and the DOT in general have come under closer scrutiny.
The FAA had to prevent flights over the United States for several hours on Wednesday morning due to a computer error.
“The flying public deserve safety in the skies,” Cruz said in a statement Wednesday. “The FAA’s inability to keep a vital safety system operational is totally unacceptable and is only the latest example of dysfunction at the Department of Transportation.”
“The government needs to explain to Congress what happened, and Congress should enact reforms in this year’s FAA relicensing legislation,” he added. “This incident also demonstrates why the public needs a competent, proven leader with deep aviation experience to lead the FAA.”