President Joe Biden’s new nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration won a Senate panel’s approval—a step forward as the agency has lacked a permanent leader for more than a year and a half while dealing with flight disruptions.
The Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, by voice vote, agreed Wednesday to send Michael Whitaker’s nomination for confirmation on the Senate floor. Biden tapped Whitaker last month after his first choice, Phil Washington, withdrew after months-long opposition stalled his confirmation.
The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since March 2022. It faces air traffic controller shortages, near-misses, a shutdown of its notification system that halted flights, and a reauthorization bill stuck in Congress. Whitaker’s nomination has moved at a faster pace through committee than other transportation nominees, quickly securing industry group endorsements and support from Republicans who opposed that of Washington.
“The FAA deserves stable, long-term leadership to guide the safety and technological improvements that our system needs,” Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said ahead of the markup, urging Whitaker’s confirmation. The nominee, deputy FAA administrator during the Obama administration, is chief operating officer for Hyundai Motor Co.‘s Supernal, which is developing pilotless advanced air mobility operations.
FAA Nominee Pledges to Reduce Air Traffic Controller Shortage
Whitaker told senators he would work to reduce the shortage in air traffic controllers if he’s confirmed. That struggle could worsen as the threat of a potential government shutdown looms anew, with a Nov. 17 deadline. A shutdown would halt training of new controllers. The committee has yet to move the long-term reauthorization of the FAA, which faces a expiration date of the end of the year.
“Assessing the workforce will be one of the first goals that I have within the agency,” Whitaker said at his nomination hearing this month. “It’s a tight workforce right now in aerospace, and we recruit in the same places that private industry does, and we’ve got to figure out a way to be competitive to bring the right talent into the agency.”
Pilot Training Dispute Stalls Senate Agreement on FAA Measure
The panel also advanced three of Biden’s nominees to be Amtrak board members: Anthony Rosario Coscia, Christopher Koos, and Joel Matthew Szabat. The nominees were delayed for months as the Biden administration faced bipartisan criticism for the lack of geographic diversity among rail picks.