Ted Cruz floats acting FAA chief for permanent role

“A point I would like to make to my Democratic colleagues on this committee, do you think Phil Washington could come anywhere close to Acting Administrator Nolen’s knowledge? I think the answer is no,” Cruz said, after asking Nolen to spell out his long career as a pilot. “I think it’s clear that Phil Washington is not going to have the votes. I think a nominee like Acting Administrator Nolen would receive widespread bipartisan support and could get confirmed quickly.”

At one point during the hearing Nolen made it clear that he isn’t angling for the job.

“I do believe that Phil Washington is fully qualified, I support the president and I support the nomination,” Nolen said.

Beyond Cruz, some Democrats on the Commerce Committee are not fully convinced. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said she hasn’t yet decided on the nomination and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) also raised concerns about Washington’s experience during his nomination hearing last week. While some Republicans vocally oppose Washington, not everyone agrees with Cruz. Aviation Subcommittee ranking member Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said he’s also undecided.

Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) argued on Wednesday that Washington’s lack of ties to the aviation industry will assist ongoing congressional efforts to ensure that the FAA is fully independent from the airlines and aircraft manufacturers it regulates, particularly after the Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.

“I think this notion of running a large organization with transportation background is really important because there’s some things here you’re trying to change culturally,” Cantwell said. “I definitely think he doesn’t represent the status quo and sometimes you get people with very long aviation careers and they’re the ones who basically go along with the system we’re trying to change.”

Cantwell hasn’t announced a committee vote on Washington’s nomination, a sign that Democrats may not be aligned.

Senate Democrats largely did not weigh in on Washington’s nomination last Congress, when he faced questions over lawsuits and search warrants related to his time leading the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But after the White House renominated Washington in January, Cantwell announced her support and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Washington’s confirmation a priority after a FAA computer system meltdown led to the first nationwide grounding of flights since September 11, 2001.

“With recent events, including airline troubles and last week’s tech problem, this agency needs a leader confirmed by the Senate immediately,” Schumer said in January.