Senate Republicans Wednesday denounced President Biden’s choice to head the Federal Aviation Administration as unqualified to head the agency.
At his first confirmation hearing since 80-year-old Biden nominated him nearly eight months ago, Phil Washington was criticized for his inexperience in aviation by Republicans on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. I was. .
“He has no aviation safety experience. This is exactly the position he is not suitable for.” Senator Ted Cruz (Texas Republican) said:“We are disappointed that the administration has chosen to treat critical security positions as patronage jobs.”
Washington, the current CEO of Denver International Airport, led the Department of Transportation’s Biden-Harris transition team. He has also held leadership roles in local public transit in Denver and Los Angeles and served in the military for 24 years.
“When I look at your records, I see records where you have experience on buses. You have experience on trains,” Cruz said, referring to Washington’s jobs in Denver and Los Angeles.
“Buses and trains are very different from planes,” Cruz added.
Texas Republicans’ concerns were similar to Senator Ted Budd (Republican-North Carolina). concluded that Washington was ineligible At work.
“Biden’s FAA candidate didn’t answer all of my questions on basic aviation issues,” Budd said in a tweet Wednesday.
“If you want to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, [it] It helps if you know a little bit about aviation,” Budd added. “This candidate is not qualified for the job.”
Washington wants to replace Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen in April 2022 after Stephen Dixon resigns before the end of his five-year term.
The FAA came under attack in January for the first time since the September 11 attacks, when flights across the country were grounded for several hours after systems that provided safety and other information to pilots went down. I’m here.
Several recent crashes involving aircraft and manpower shortages have disrupted travel and have plagued agencies that profess to be safety-focused.
