Biden’s pick to lead FAA faces murky road to confirmation
President Biden’s pick to lead the FAA, Phillip A. Washington, is facing an uncertain path to confirmation amid concerns about his limited aviation experience and his entanglement in a public corruption investigation. Biden nominated Washington, the CE of Denver International Airport, in July, but he has not yet received a confirmation hearing in the Senate. Because the current Congress ends in early January, the president will need to renominate Washington next year, and a White House spokeswoman would not say whether he planned to do so. “The FAA has a crucial safety mandate, and filling this role remains a serious priority for the Biden administration,” the spokeswoman, Olivia Dalton, said. The uncertainty about Washington’s nomination comes as the FAA is facing a long list of challenges. With air travel returning in force after cratering during the coronavirus pandemic, the agency has received a stream of complaints from travelers over flight delays and cancellations. It is also grappling with issues like improving safety oversight in the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes, shoring up staffing for the air traffic control system and regulating electric air taxis. The agency has been without permanent leadership since the end of March, when Stephen Dickson, a former Delta executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, resigned about halfway through his five-year term as FAA administrator. Billy Nolen, the agency’s top safety official, has been in charge since Dickson’s departure. Washington, 64, would come to the agency with a short aviation résumé. Before being hired to a series of transportation positions, he served in the US Army for 24 years, achieving the rank of command sergeant major. In 2000, he joined Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which operates bus routes and rail lines, and became its general manager and CE in 2009. In 2015, he became the chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the county’s rail and bus systems. Last year, he was chosen to run Denver’s airport, which is one of the busiest in the world.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-12-27/general/biden2019s-pick-to-lead-faa-faces-murky-road-to-confirmation
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Biden’s pick to lead FAA faces murky road to confirmation
President Biden’s pick to lead the FAA, Phillip A. Washington, is facing an uncertain path to confirmation amid concerns about his limited aviation experience and his entanglement in a public corruption investigation. Biden nominated Washington, the CE of Denver International Airport, in July, but he has not yet received a confirmation hearing in the Senate. Because the current Congress ends in early January, the president will need to renominate Washington next year, and a White House spokeswoman would not say whether he planned to do so. “The FAA has a crucial safety mandate, and filling this role remains a serious priority for the Biden administration,” the spokeswoman, Olivia Dalton, said. The uncertainty about Washington’s nomination comes as the FAA is facing a long list of challenges. With air travel returning in force after cratering during the coronavirus pandemic, the agency has received a stream of complaints from travelers over flight delays and cancellations. It is also grappling with issues like improving safety oversight in the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes, shoring up staffing for the air traffic control system and regulating electric air taxis. The agency has been without permanent leadership since the end of March, when Stephen Dickson, a former Delta executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, resigned about halfway through his five-year term as FAA administrator. Billy Nolen, the agency’s top safety official, has been in charge since Dickson’s departure. Washington, 64, would come to the agency with a short aviation résumé. Before being hired to a series of transportation positions, he served in the US Army for 24 years, achieving the rank of command sergeant major. In 2000, he joined Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which operates bus routes and rail lines, and became its general manager and CE in 2009. In 2015, he became the chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the county’s rail and bus systems. Last year, he was chosen to run Denver’s airport, which is one of the busiest in the world.<br/>
