Michael Whitaker, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, was well-received at his Oct. 4 confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which bodes well for his approval by the panel in coming weeks. Airport officials and others in aviation are hoping the Senate will act quickly to approve Whitaker and end 18 months of FAA leadership by acting administrators.
Whitaker has drawn “broad support, not only from across the aisle, but from across the aviation community,” said Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), at the hearing. She had indicated, after Whitaker's nomination was announced last month, that she looked forward to working with him at the FAA.
Cantwell also pointed to the nominee's long career in aviation, including three years as the FAA's deputy administrator and work in the private sector, where he was a United Airlines senior vice president, among other positions.
Other committee Democrats also are expected to back Whitaker. And he drew an endorsement from Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican from Kansas, who said he would vote for Whitaker and would "encourage my colleagues to do so as well."
Whitaker is Biden's second FAA nominee. Last year the President named Phillip A. Washington, Denver International Airport's CEO, as his choice.
But last March, Washington withdrew as a candidate for the top FAA job, after running into opposition from some Senate Commerce Committee Republicans, and reportedly, Democrats too. One criticism was that Washington did not have the aviation background needed for the administrator's post.
Judging from Whitaker's reception from the committee, the odds of his approval are strong.
Lawmakers did say that if the nominee is confirmed, he would face tough challenges. "America's aviation system is under stress," said Cantwell, pointing to the "near misses and close calls" between aircraft and a need to update the FAA's safety systems and technology.
Whitaker acknowledged a shortage of air traffic controllers.
The committee's top GOP member, Ted Cruz (Texas), led the opposition to Washington. During Whitaker's appearance, Cruz did not raise any red flags and noted Whitaker's "significant experience in aviation."
Otherwise Cruz was noncommittal. "I'm willing to keep an open mind and give him fair consideration on the merits," he said.
During the hearing, there were few mentions of airport infrastructure. The nominee did say, "I think our network of airports in the U.S. is a treasure and we need to invest in them and keep them viable."
He also said that airports have an infrastructure that is "a business opportunity." He gave the example of Beta Technologies, a Vermont-based company building a network of charging stations for electric-powered aircraft.
Multiyear FAA Bill in the Works in Congress
The hearing came as Congress is working on a long-term measure to reauthorize FAA’s programs. Of particular interest to construction and infrastructure groups are the Airport Improvement Program [AIP] construction grants, which have been authorized at about $3.3 billion per year.
The House of Representatives on July 20 approved a new five-year FAA bill on a strong bipartisan 351-69 vote. It would provide $20 billion over five years for AIP grants, an increase of 19% from the previous multiyear FAA measure.
The Senate has lagged behind the House. On June 12, Cantwell and Cruz introduced their five-year FAA reauthorization proposal, which also calls for $20 billion for AIP. Then, three days later, Cantwell suddenly postponed a scheduled committee voting session on the measure.
There has been no evident Senate progress on the legislation since then, but at Whitaker's hearing, Cantwell said she hoped to finalize aviation legislation and see it signed into law by the end of the year.
