Republicans vow to block Biden FAA pick as Democrats double down
by Karl Evers-Hillstrom - 03/01/23 12:47 PM ET
Senate Democrats on Wednesday rallied behind President Biden’s long-delayed pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) while Republicans vowed to block the nomination.
The Senate Commerce Committee has slow-walked the nomination of Phil Washington, the CEO of Denver International Airport, amid questions about his aviation experience and an ongoing corruption investigation related to his tenure as head of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority.
Biden nominated Washington to lead the FAA more than seven months ago.
The FAA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator for nearly a year amid numerous challenges, most recently struggling with near collisions and a high-profile system meltdown.
At a Commerce hearing on Wednesday, Washington told senators he would aim to swiftly address pressing issues such as a flurry of drones entering the airspace and staffing shortages at the FAA.
“However, to accomplish all these things, we need permanent leadership at the top of the FAA to address the challenges that we have seen in the last several years,” Washington said.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3879385-republicans-vow-to-block-biden-faa-pick-as-democrats-double-down/