The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted today to approve the nomination of Bryan Bedford to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The nomination was approved by a 15-13 vote, and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
The White House’s nomination of Bedford to head FAA has been controversial among Democrats because of his long ties to industry as CEO at regional airline Republic Airways, and for his unwillingness to commit to not lowering the current 1,500 training hours required for co-pilots.
“FAA needs an administrator who will be a strong cop on the beat,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who is ranking member of the committee. “Unfortunately, I do not believe Mr. Bedford answered the Senate questions when we gave him various chances to ask how he would approach this job.”
During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Bedford told lawmakers that he would overhaul the FAA’s current leadership and safety culture, which he asserted were responsible for recent incidents including January’s deadly midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and military helicopter outside of Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Va.
Bedford told panel members he would “work closely with the professional men and women of the FAA to provide the leadership that is necessary to execute the president’s vision, to build a new, best-in-class air traffic control system and to rectify the chronic understaffing our nation’s peer centers.”
Cracking down on FAA oversight and modernization efforts has been a recent priority in Congress after a series of technological failures resulted in mass airport delays and other safety concerns in Washington.
Despite little support from Democrats, Bedford’s nomination has received overwhelming support from Senate Republicans who have highlighted his background as a pilot as a path toward greater oversight.
“Today, this committee understands how important it is to have an FAA administrator with actual experience … as the FAA prepares to overhaul the air traffic control system for the 21st Century, the agency needs a steady leader with executive experience,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the committee.
“We are preparing to invest more than $12 billion in air traffic control,” he continued. “This investment in new radar, telecommunications facilities, runway safety, and other technologies will improve the safety and reliability of the system. It is a sorely needed investment, and it will take a proven manager to make the most of it.”
The chairman said he was confident that Bedford would lead those modernization efforts and “meet today’s challenges.”