The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing tomorrow on the nomination of Phillip Washington to be the next FAA administrator. The hearing—which will be livestreamed at 10 a.m.—comes not quite two months after President Joe Biden re-upped Washington’s nomination for the top FAA post and eight months after the White House first nominated him for the position.
Since the Senate did not act on it last year, the Biden Administration had to renew the nomination once the 118th Congress convened. However, the nomination has taken new urgency following the outage of the FAA notam system in January and high-profile near-collision events that have occurred in recent weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has pushed for action, saying, “It’s time to clear the runway for President Biden’s choice for FAA administrator, Phil Washington.”
At the same time, though, the nomination has drawn questions, in particular from the Republican side over Washington’s limited aviation experience, serving as the CEO of Denver International Airport for about a year and one-half. His background has been in large transportation organizations, including as CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and of the Denver Regional Transportation District. He also spent 24 years in the U.S. Army and brings ties to the Biden Administration, leading the transition team for the Department of Transportation after the 2020 election.
In addition, the nomination has raised concerns surrounding a whistleblower complaint filed during his time with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. That complaint was settled but has played a role in a broader corruption probe and search warrants issued last year by the LA County Sheriff’s Department naming Washington, among others. The California Department of Justice has further become involved.
Washington has denied wrongdoing.
In addition, Washington was named in a discrimination complaint filed this month by a Denver city employee. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the ranking Republican on Commerce Committee, has reportedly asked for an investigation following the news of this latest complaint.
