Schumer says it’s time to ‘clear the runway’ for FAA administrator’s confirmation

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the Senate will work to overcome partisan gridlock and confirm a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator to lead the agency after the FAA temporary grounded all domestic flights due to a system outage last week.

“It’s time to clear the runway for President Biden’s choice for FAA Administrator, Phil Washington,” Schumer said in a press conference Sunday. “With recent events, including airline troubles and last week’s tech problem, this agency needs a leader confirmed by the Senate immediately.”

“I intend to break this logjam, work to hold a hearing for Mr. Washington, where he can detail his experience and answer questions and then work towards a speedy Senate confirmation,” Schumer added.

The FAA has been without a permanent leader since March, when Trump-nominated FAA Administrator Steve Dickson stepped down from the post in the middle of his five-year term. Biden later nominated Phil Washington to lead the agency in July, but he did not receive a confirmation hearing in the last Congress.

The Biden administration has been facing growing pressure to prevent airline crises after the FAA experienced an outage in the system that warns pilots of hazards during their upcoming flights, causing the FAA to ground all domestic flights for a couple of hours last week. This issue came weeks after Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights over the holidays due to a scheduling system failure.

Washington, who became the CEO of Denver International Airport in 2021, has faced criticism over what Republicans say is a lack of experience.

“Today’s FAA action to halt all U.S. flights underscores this agency’s first mission is safety,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said earlier this week. “But Phil Washington, President Biden’s pick to lead @FAANews , has no safety or aviation experience. We can’t leave the flying public’s wellbeing up to chance. We need a new nominee.”

Schumer said that Republicans stalling his confirmation “sends the wrong message” to the American public and the “wrong signal” to the airlines.