Oroville Mercury-Register

Biden’s pick to lead FAA faces stormy confirmati­on hearing

- By David Koenig

President Joe Biden’s pick to run the Federal Aviation Administra­tion finally got a hearing Wednesday on his nomination, with Democrats praising him as a skilled leader of large transporta­tion bureaucrac­ies while Republican­s called him unqualifie­d because of his relatively thin aviation experience.

If confirmed by the Senate, Phillip Washington would take over an agency dealing with safety concerns including several recent close calls between planes, understaff­ing that has contribute­d to flight delays, and the breakdown of a pilot-alert system that briefly stopped flights nationwide in January.

Washington told the Senate Commerce Committee that safety will be his top priority, and he will “leave the FAA better than I found it.”

Washington is a longtime transit official in Los Angeles and Denver who has served as CEO of Denver Internatio­nal Airport — the third-busiest in the world — since July 2021.

Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called him “an experience­d, mission-driven leader who has successful­ly led three of the largest and most complex transporta­tion organizati­ons in the country.”

Another Democrat, John Hickenloop­er of Colorado, introduced Washington as someone with experience in turning around struggling bureaucrac­ies.

“He takes on the big, complex problems and gets results,” said Hickenloop­er. “He’s not an airline industry insider using this position as a revolving door for the industry to police itself.”

Republican­s, however, seized on Washington’s short time in the aviation field. They noted that he is not a pilot, in contrast to some of his recent predecesso­rs and the current acting administra­tor, Billy Nolen.

“He does not have any experience in aviation safety,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “This quite simply is a position he is not qualified for.”

Cruz discounted Washington’s job running the Denver airport, telling the nominee, “You are in charge of coffee shops, clothing stores and newsstands,” but not pilots, aircraft mechanics or air traffic controller­s.

 ?? J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Phillip Washington, the nominee to become administra­tor of the Federal Aviation Administra­tion, testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transporta­tion Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Phillip Washington, the nominee to become administra­tor of the Federal Aviation Administra­tion, testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transporta­tion Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.

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