US House panel probes federal response to air, rail safety issues

The House of Representatives Oversight Committee said on Tuesday it is investigating the US Transportation Department's response to a series of aviation and rail safety issues. Republicans on the panel in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the committee was conducting oversight of the department's response to near-miss aviation incidents and train derailments. They also said they were seeking "a briefing, documents and communications related to the department's efforts to investigate and remediate these issues to protect the safety of all Americans." The Transportation Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The letter, signed by committee chair James Comer and other committee Republicans, cited unresolved safety recommendations made by the department's Office of Inspector General. "These safety failures have eroded the public's confidence in air and rail safety and necessitates thorough investigation," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating seven near-miss runway events since January. In March, Buttigieg said a series of aviation close calls was "deeply troubling and deserve our immediate attention." The FAA and NTSB last month said they were investigating an Aug. 11 near collision between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet in San Diego that were about 30m apart. The FAA has been without a permanent administrator since April 2022. President Joe Biden's nominee to head the agency withdrew in March and the White House has yet to announce a new nominee.<br/>