>> good morning. the u.s. senate committee on commerce, science and transportation will come to order. this morning we are having hearing on the nomination of phil washington to administrator at the federal aviation administration. mr. washington welcome, congratulations on your nomination. i know i think at least one or two of your colleagues want to be here as well to do an

introduction of you. you are very fortunate to have them. we will call upon them in a minute. as we are expecting the arrival of a ranking member i'm going to go ahead and start with my opening statement helps we can keep going this morning meant to be the commerce committee's meeting to consider the nomination of phil washington to be administrator of the faa. a safety mission of the faa starts at the top with the administrator. i hope to hear from you, mr. washington about your vision for making sure the faa is the gold standard in aviation safety. three years ago congress spoke clearly on needed reforms in the aircraft certification process and the faa safety oversight. i worked with my colleague senator wicker was the chair of the committee at that time on that important legislation. to date we need a clear commitment this legislation is fully implemented these reforms

ensuring divine oversight mandating safety management systems and holding manufacturers accountable are all adhered to. i want to especially thank the families of the 737 max tragedies for their important role in helping us craft landmark legislation. it's an important reminder of the faa leadership mandate extends internationally as well. the united states must be a strong safety. we must raise the global safety bar on issues like pilot training and human factors. the faa administrator must also lead a large complex organization. the safety agency has over 45000 employees across different lines of business day in and day out these workers answer the call and are engaged in the continuous job of safety oversight. dousing strong leadership at the faa to continue the faa reauthorization bill this year.

administration maciel challenges by 20 century technology air mobility platforms and manufacturing must build up our national airspace system which is already in the world most busiest complex with technology and operational redundancies. in addition the future it must be sustainable. that means developing the capacity and infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel and meeting are 2050 targets for net zero carbon emissions. so it mr. washington you are here today to excellent play and how you leadership can't meet that vision and those vital requirements of the faa. i am pleasers colleagues bennett and hickam looper will be here to also say a few words on your behalf. let me just say you represent a great career we've much appreciate. mr. washington is a 24 year veteran of the u.s. army where he rose to the rank of command

sgt major the highest noncommissioned officer rank in the listed soldier can achieve pretty will be the first african-american confirmed to serve as the faa administrator. this would be a landmark achievement. there's never been faa administrator nominee come from enlisted ranks the u.s. army top mr. washington how to get things done and get them done right. and indeed the department of defense awarded him the procedures superior service medal for exceptional service the country. and after military retirement in 2000 mr. washington joined the denver regional district rtd and earned his way to the top of that transit agency with an annual ridership of over 40 million people. in denver mr. washington implemented the nation's first and only two-point to billion transit private partnership called eagle p3 target on-time in expensing regions and in 2050

was named ceo los angeles county metropolitan authority in los angeles he oversaw rail and bus network transports one point to million passengers managed a budget of $9 billion and oversaw 10,000 employees. he is also a key in leading expansion of l.a. metro parade manchin approximate 20 million and infrastructure new rail connections between los angeles international airport. in 2021 he became ceo denver international airport the third busiest airport in the world. i'm not doubting i did have to look that up and sure enough yes it is true. you move a lot of people to that airport. he leads 35000 employees and manages 1.3 billion operating budget under his watch eased all-time passenger traffic records nearly 70 million passengers traveled through his terminals of about 18% over 2021 and surpassing three pre-covered

numbers. organizations like the american public transport association, airport council, national business aviation administration and many other organizations including many labor organizations also support your nomination. so again, congratulations and thank you for being here. i look forward to having a chance to discuss with you the future of the faa printer to my colleague the ranking mentor senator cruz for his opening statement. >> thank you madam chair. f8 faces enormous challenges. it mustn't modernize our airspace while safely integrating new entrants like drones. trying to keep its reputation as a gold standard aviation safety while dealing with far too many close calls and operating in outdated traffic control system that must safely move roughly 2 million passengers a day. the faa needs a senate confirmed later with decades of experience

in aviation to make certain the flying public is safe. the agency's primary obligation. this obligation is so important that congress mandated the faa administrator must quote have experience in a field directly related to aviation. the nominee before us, phil washington had a long and honorable career in the military. but he does not have any experience in aviation safety. this quite simply is a position he is not qualified for. i am disappointed the administration has chosen to treat a critical safety position a physician keeping our families safe. they've chosen to treat it as a patronage job. as a result of the white house playing politics with the flying public safety the faa has lactic senate confirmed a leader for your now.

i expect we will hear some members of this committee can gloss over mr. washington's lack of aviation in aviation safety experience by saying he has a record of strong management, of transit agencies. he understands buses, isn't that good enough for planes? but his record demonstrates the opposite. the democrat city transit agencies he has run have been beset by mismanagement and wasteful spending. in 2019 cbs news reported mr. washington tried to add a $200,000 sauna to the l.a. metro employee jim after being presented with a more taxpayer friendly $50000 version. he proposed this lavish spending as city buses quote broke down and caught fire due to lack of money. the "new york times" reported the denver rail project overseen

by mr. washington ran up a 2 billion-dollar plus deficits and had become over 30 years behind schedule. just last month mr. washington and other denver officials spent more than $100,000 on a junket to africa to drum up support for denver's airport. the government waste and delayed overbudget projects are things we want to change at the faa, not continue. i'm also very mr. washington's record suggested focus on virtual signaling at a time in the faa needs to be laser focused on safety and modernization. as l.a. metro ceo he said quotes, everything we do in terms of mobility we look through the lens of equity. at the denver airport he spending millions of dollars use build a special quote hall of equity and change the contract bidding process to place a

heavier emphasis on so-called equity and so-called social cultural merit. safety. not political posturing needs to be paramount at the faa. i also serious concerns regarding outstanding allegations of misconduct going back to mr. washington's time at l.a. metro. he was named and multiple search warrants in an ongoing criminal public corruption investigation was the subject of multiple whistleblower complaints. one whistleblower who explosive details of a politically connected contracting scheme claims to have been retaliated against by mr. washington. after mr. washington went to denver l.a. metro settled the claims more than half a million dollars. just last month mr. washington was negative discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a former denver airport employee.

mr. washington failed to notify this committee of the lawsuits, or the dozens of omissions in his questionnaire. suggesting he has been less than fully transparent, raising concerns about how he will collaborate with us as we work to reauthorize the faa. finally mr. washington, as a retired member of the military needs a waiver from both the house and the senate to be eligible to serve since federal law explicitly requires faa administrator be a civilian and retired members of the military do not under the statute qualify as civilians. on five occasions congress has passed legislative waivers so retired military personnel could serve at the faa. who do the same for mr. washington if his record and then retake it. he had experience in aviation safety. but it doesn't do senate democrats forces nomination through without a waiver a legal

cloud will hang over every single faa action. let me close with a quote. -very important in this day and age when it comes aviation safety it must always be our top priority. we were concerned the nomination the nominees record the ongoing case of whistleblower retaliation. given all that clear to me is not the right person for the safety culture we need to that the faa. those were the words spoken about a former fa nominee. by the chairwoman of this committee in 2019 about steve dixon who had 40 years of aviation experience. mr. washington is not the right nominee for this position. >> thank you center cruz. i might opening statement forgot to mention a letter by former house colleague who worked with extensively pretty want to enter that into the record. he called her a leader to decades of senior leadership that we need to help a commish

the goals of the faa. without him when you turn your colleague, i think our colleague first in the mr. bennet. >> thank you madam chair. we need an faa administrator who's confirmed but also knows how to get things done. but administrator who can manage the complex bureaucracy and faa, prep for the realities of modern air travel today. someone who can give us confidence the next time we get on the flights. someone who will reassure us we will get what we are going safely and not have to think about how everything works again. that is still washington. phil came from humble beginnings and as madam chair mention serve 24 years in the army. achieve the rank of command sgt major the highest rank for enlisted serviceman command sgt major's are the people that make

things -- might get things done by organizing, motivating their troops. delivering on the mission and holding people accountable. he was stationed in fort carson, colorado the beginning of his relationship of colorado. our veterans are renowned for the discipline, their leadership, the courage, the dedication to service. phil embodies all these traits and more. when he led the metro denver transportation district which is by far the largest transit agency in the state, they put her cities transit system back on track. he came in when the flagship fasttrack program was over budget, was behind schedule beset by problems and complications. when he left three quarters was completed or under construction pretty next took the helm los angeles county metropolitan authority the third largest transit system in the country, serving over 220 million passengers annually. again another

multibillion-dollar expansion which was beset by challenges. and he got that sorted out. he is now ceo of denver international airport for the past couple years. the third busiest airport in the world as manager pointed out. he is transform the airport once aging infrastructure, the great hall projects going to expand terminal capacity from 70 million passengers a year to 100 million passengers a year. his program vision 100 will support that transition. by the end of this decade. phil recognized growth is more than just expanding terminals and modernizing runways. he is not center of equity and excellence in aviation it's the first of its kind training facility to make sure we can grow a diverse workforce and small business pipeline in aviation that does deliver on the combined mission of

transportation at the safest possible levels. he has not hesitated to act decisively again and again when crisis strikes. with the winter storms of 2022 that devastated air travel all across the country. damaged our economy. he immediately launched a rigorous after action review between dia major airline partners. this after action review will identify the causes to the airline distraction catastrophe and prevent future incidents from happening again. that is the kind of decisive action we need to see in the faa. phil fits the mold of several past administrators were there been questions raised as to previous administrators, jane garvey who was the administrator under president clinton came from the massachusetts department public works and led boston's logan airport.

no one coming to the fa. oversaw the ports of derek city in san francisco and had a couple senior roles within the department of transportation before coming to lead the faa. i think phil breaks the mold of past faa administrators in important ways. he is not an airline industry insider using this role as a position for the industry to be policing itself. the challenges facing faa are those of managing a large complex bureaucracy badly in need of modernization but certainly in that respect he is no novice. ceo the third busiest airport in the world, as we have said. he manages a workforce of roughly 35000 employees compared to 45000 at faa so the same size. took the role admits to big

expansion problem scheduling challenges before he came along and got it back on track. this is not to mention his expense in the army where he honed his discipline of leadership skills and was recognized for it. spell a repetition coming into organizations filled with challenges successfully transforming them into successes pretty takes on the big complex problems and gets results for this is the kind of person we want in our federal management system. he is for those reasons are is for those reasons i urges committee to be thoughtful and look at phil's record and what it shows. he is the right man nominee at the right time to leave this critical agency per look forward to seeing where he can lead the faa with his bold vision for the future. >> thank you, senator bennett. >> thank you chair cantwell for having me and ranking member cruz for the opportunity to introduce is here to be here

with my colleague president biden's nominee for the federal aviation administration. john hickenlooper and i have known phil for almost 20 years but going back to the days when jon was mayor of denver and he graciously as his chief of staff. we both worked closely together with phil who'd recently joined colorado's regional transportation district after an exceptional career that took him from the housing project in the south side of chicago to the rank of command sgt after 24 years in the u.s. army. i believe phil's son, phil washington junior is with us this morning. i thank him for making the trip to washington. thank you for sharing your dad with us so he could continue to serve colorado and the country. senator hickenlooper has already offered an excellent overview of phil's experience in colorado's

regional transportation district l.a. county transportation authority and denver's international airport. instead of taking through that again, i want to share my observations about phil's specific qualifications to lead the faa at this critical juncture for the agency. as this committee appreciates more than most the faa has long set the global standard for safety. recent incidents have shaken the public confidence and undermined our global leadership. this is the perfect time for a leader like phil washington who bring improvement record for delivering results. he turned around transit in l.a. county. he is driving over change and i have no doubt he would do the same with faa. i understand some members of this committee have argued phil lacks direct experience in aviation. we just heard that argument. i am surprised by that because as we have heard he is currently running the third busiest

airport on planet earth. it literally spends every day liaising with 25 airlines, managing over 30,000 employees and navigating local, state, federal aviation policy. he is here heading the most ambitious overhaul of that third busiest airport since colorado first built the airport almost 30 years ago. i pointed out to the chairwoman we are very proud dia is the youngest airport means to build airports in this country again, phil can help us with that too. he is leading agent of million-dollar renovations rebuilding three diner gates designing runway and revamping airports entire baggage system make its way through the

airport. phil was also instrumental in developing vision 100 strategic plan for dia to prepare the airport to process 100 million passengers a year through an expanded workforce infrastructure and air service network. so, despite to the contrary phil's experience is comparable to previous faa nominees like jane garvey and michael jon mentioned. both the senate confirms what the strong bipartisan support instead of focusing on phil's obvious qualifications are spent in the attempt in recent months to distract from his record and frankly impugn his character. i will not dignify that record in my remarks. also the past 20 years have left me with only the highest regard of phil's integrity of the people denver believe about fill the people of colorado do as well but do not take my word for it. the mayor is at the hearing.

refer the mayor asked them to lead dia conducted a thorough background check. confirm this unanimously. they do not agree on anything by the way but they agreed on phil. from that city council. i see no reason why phil's historic nomination should not receive unanimous vote from this committee. any fair assessment of his career, and of his character would see and nominate with integrity, drive, a record of resulted every institution he has led. i wholeheartedly endorse his nomination thank you met in a chair forgive me a few minutes. >> thank you, senator bennett thank you to senator hickenlooper. her being part of today's hearing and endorsing obviously with your work experience with

the denver airport and leadership. mr. washington we now turn to you. to feel free to introduce any family or guests with you and make your opening statement. >> chair cantwell, ranking member cruz, and members of the committee. it is an honor to appear before you today. as the president's nominee for federal aviation administration. i want to thank president biden, secretary buttigieg to fill his important role. if confirmed i want to look forward to working with each of you to strengthen our world-class aviation system and make it better than it has ever been. i appreciate the generous introductions from centers bennett and hickenlooper. i'm honored today to have my mayor here michael hancock pretty want to thank my family my only son philip junior is

here. i also want to thank you billy our current acting administrator. as a man who grew from humble beginnings of public housing on the south side chicago i am honored and humbled by this nomination. i will pledge to work diligently to support the extraordinary team at the faa. i grew up poor as an only son of a family of six children. my mother was a single parent she worked 12 hours a day to put food on the table for all of us. she took me too listen and learn from the >> leaders who lived in and visited in the city of chicago in the 60s and 70s. this is where i realized my purpose and desire to serve and be a public servant. i began my public service and leadership journey nearly 45 years ago.

ultimately served for nearly 25 years earning the highest military enlisted rank. to my military career i serve, lead, motivated men and women from every corner of this great land. i honorably retired from the us army some 22 years ago as a military veteran and leader of the three large transportation organizations my broad transportation safety knowledge and real-world leadership experiences provide a unique perspective of aviation all modes of transportation integrate into a seamless system while serving as ceo of denver regional transportation district i love the effort to denver international airport. ceo l.a. metro tab key construction milestones for 2 billion-dollar automated people mover.

that electric train system connects l.a. metro rail and other facilities with airport terminals. it will operate 24/7 to serve approximately 30 million passengers annually resulting in 117,000 fewer vehicles to travel per day. i also led the completion of a 15 million-dollar metrolink rail station more neighborhoods of hollywood burbank airport. reducing traffic, congestion on interstate five at residential roads. overseeing these massive projects provides me with a great deal of experience managing complex projects and organizations. my experience as sea of the third busiest airport in the world denver international airport 35000 workers translates well to the faa. travelers through my airport have not asked me how much a direct aviation experience i

had. instead they asked me where was their luggage? and why the flight was delayed or canceled. how their families would survive in my airport on frigid night. we engage with our partners. we worked as a team in. we took care of travelers at my airport. safest era of aviation, modernize technology, lift morale will staffing up and maintaining global leadership in aviation. yes, only to reinforce we are the regulator for aircraft manufacturers, airlines, entrance to the national airspace. yes we need to stress continuously safety is second nature for all faa employees. however to accomplish all these things we need permanent leadership at the top of the faa to address the challenges we have seen in the last several years. if confirm i will draw on a

career spanning almost 45 years to be that leader. the safety of the traveling public will remain my top priority as it has been for me leaving the third largest airport in the world. two large transit agencies men and women in uniform. i will guide by the sacrifices air tragedies and perform the administrator role as i have performed every leadership role in my professional life. with accountability, integrity transparency honesty discipline and innovative mindset. i will own well-intentioned failure. faa employees will own their success. i will quicken the pace of public service and leave the faa better than i found it. my hope is that the committee had the full senate will see the

value of my leadership and multimodal transportation experience as it deliberates my confirmation. thank you for your consideration. i'm excited about the opportunity to serve and i'm pleased i am convinced of the air traffic controllers to deal with at systems. deal with the immigration of new entrants. it is a good grasp of the large organization like the airport every day. history of being a manager thousands of employees gives you a very good sense of some of the challenges to address the technology issues of today.

clearly any organization challenge is how you adapt and new technology. i do want to get you on the record as it relates to the aviation that i mentioned out of committee. accidents. got to cozy. they moved away from the delegated engineering representative model in which the faa was really in charge. our reforms employees in the certification work directly hired. they were able to communicate directly with the faa and they were able to be removed from the

faa. i want to note first and foremost do you support that focus? will you continue to fight to implement the oversight of an aggressive faa holding manufacturers accountable for their work in engineering? quick senator, thank you for the question. absolutely yes. i think administrator dixon and acting administrator noland have done a great job of footstomping that we are the regulator. i will continue that. i will also continue the implementation of a reform act and look to accelerate the outstanding things that have not been completed. so actually yes. >> one of the things it is not completed and we may end up having mr. noland back here just to talk about this, because we want to continue to make progress and he is the safety

leak. that legislation calls for integrated project leadership between nasa, the air force and the faa making shirt mountable certification technology is not lost on anyone, particularly the ncs to be in of the international organizations. of new technology and human factors is something we should be taking more attention too. what will you do to make sure it's populated with the right technical aviation expertise implemented the best and brightest technology as we are going to the certification process. >> thank you for the question senator. i know the faa has been doing a number of things around recruiting hint making sure the

compensation is adequate to bring folks in. i will continue that. my track record of standing up various training briefs facility and training attract great talent into the faa. it's also important for us to go to every corner of this country looking for talents. the denver international airport the center of equity and excellence in aviation we are doing just that. my plan to be to scale that up to look for the best talents in this country to bring in the faa. >> what are your ideas on how to get that done given that we have a real faa critical expertise? what are your ideas on how to change that? >> a couple of things, or time but military career the something called transition assistance program in terms of

the military. well familiar with those these are programs that help soldiers get out of the military. that is an incredible source and a resource for great talent. i am tied into those transition programs or cap programs. i would start there i would start in our colleges. i would start in places around the country to show people a career pathway. it's one thing to tell a young person get into the aviation industry. it's quite another thing to show them what that means. and show them the executive leadership pathway and that is what we have designed in my years of transportation. >> this is going to be one of the very biggest challenges at the faa is the right talent and

getting there quickly. cruz. >> thank you madam chair. mr. washington emphasized your time at the denver airport 20 months, have you ever flown a plane? >> thank you for the question senator know i've never flown a plane for correction on a military pilot or commercial airline pilot. >> no, sir. >> and ever work for an airline? >> no, sir. >> it never worked as an air traffic controller? >> no send up a. >> have you ever worked for company that fixes airplanes? >> no senator. >> offered 20 months you've been in charge of the denver airport. you are in charge of the airports buildings, correct? >> i am in charge of everything that goes on at that airport. >> i'm not sure that's exactly right. you are in charge of parking at the airport is that correct

question are coming parking spaces of the denver airport? works thousands. >> okay you are in charge of all the shops and restaurants in the airport how many restaurants are there? >> we have anywhere from 150 -- 200 or so. >> you are in charge of coffee shops and clothing stores and newsstands. you are not in charge of the pilots, are you? >> no senator. >> you are not in charge of the airplane mechanics, our use or question or correctness or progression on charge they are traffic controllers you? >> no senator. you know, look at prior faa administrator as you and i talked about i respect your military service. i look at prior faa administrators current acting was a commercial airline multiple enrolls hit certificates in aviation safety from three institutions of the u.s. army and the naval postgraduate, that's under

president biden. steve dixon under both biden was an air force fighter pilot, commercial airline pilot executive at delta air lines 40 years of aviation experience. acting administrator was a combat pilot administrator randy babbitt was a commercial airline pilot for 25 years served as the president of the labor union for pilots. those are all people who know something about aviation safety. as i look at your record to see record you've got experience buses. you've got buses and trains are very different from planes. my understanding is this administration previously considered you for the board of amtrak. that could well have been the position you are qualified for and you might want received bipartisan support to serve in that role. a lot of discussion quite rightly is focus on the horrific

crashes of the 7:30 seven max. that took 346 souls from us. let me ask you, what is an angle of attack sensor? >> the angle of attack sensors a sensor in the front of the plane that controls the tilt and the altitude of the plane. >> how many are there macs? >> two. >> what systems are there? what systems are there? >> the mcat if i'm not mistaken. >> mcat system is responsible for the crashes at issue. what happens and there's a different reading from different sensors?

crux can repeat that question senator? >> what happens when you get a different reading from two different attack sensors? >> i think human reaction these to take over if that occurs. >> why did that not happen on the ethiopian air flights? et cetera i am not a pilot i don't know that i can answer that particular question. >> mr. washington at the end of the day that's the fundamental problem. for this administration to nominate someone as faa administrator who could not answer the question why we are 346 people killed in horrific crashes that resulted in the 7:30 seven max being grounded for a long time is striking. by the late mr. dixon after the faa reit certified he went and flew personally.

let me be clear and you and i talked about this. faa administrator is a specialized i am not qualified to be faa administered i have no idea how to fly a plane no one in their right mind would put me in charge of aviation safety because i don't have that experience. i expect most nemesis conveyor in a similar position. the american people when they think about aviation safety. when they think about i played in this committee of southwest airlines and fedex plane almost colliding at austin's airport, they want an administrator who knows why those planes crashed and knows how to fix it to keep them safe. with all respect to mr. it does no comfort to the flying the public that there pilot might be a transgendered or which but does not actually know how to prevent the plane from crashing in the ground and killing them.

i believe you're what record is woefully lacking. and in fact wrote aviation safety experience. and i do not believe you'll have votes for confirmation as you and i visited about earlier this week. senator hickenlooper. >> thank you madam chair. mr. washington just for the record in my 20 years of working with him greater focus on safety than anyone i've seen comparable roles. this instinctual within him at the round safety. talk about rural service, rural communities depend on regional air service to grow their economies. to stay connected to the national air network. most of the country we have a

network of these rural airports. the dot and the faa excellent airline operators maintain service in rural areas in colorado this to be pablo in alamo so. can you discuss the importance of rural communities maintaining access to reliable air service and will you confirm to maintaining and expanding service to rural communities? >> thank you for the question senator. i definitely commit to working with rural airports. they serve a vital -- vitally important mode of mobility if you will for folks that live in those rural areas. so we at denver international airport actually deal with and

provide assistance where we can with rural airports in the state of colorado. i would continue that as the administrator as well. there's special things around construction and getting grant funding out to those rural especially cold area airport so they can build during these seasons where it is good for them to build. so cheer answer your question absently owed provide assistance,. >> appreciate that. i would also like to present the challenge the problems facing faa are those of managing a large, complex organization for the type of organization you have made a career out of running successfully as a command sgt major at rtd, l.a.

metro and dia. i think if we were to ask anyone who traveled the last year if they want another person from the airline industry in terms of faa they would probably say they didn't. i don't think the airline should be regulated themselves. these systems failure the southwest meltdown, extended delays, near misses are all management and policy issues. being a good pilot is not going to help you or anyone be the faa administrator this country needs to solve these issues. being able to manage a large complex organization is. while you talk just for a moment about the complexity of dia and how you synthesized 35000 employees make sure the right people are in charge and hold them accountable. >> thank you for the question senator. first of all that safety is the

number one priority. that is my top priority. eileen on a long record of leadership and oversight of billion-dollar projects and people. so i think one of the first things i think about is creating a vision for the organization. think of creating a vision for the faa. think about breaking down stovepipes pretty think about providing professional development for the employees. and i have to say i had someone ask me why do you provide all this professional development for folks in the they might leave. my response was provided and they stay that becomes a real issue.

just when things enjoy also tell them what i expect from them. so providing that mission, it being visible, telling folks what you expect to expect from them is the start good culture within the organization. a culture of ownership they call it. i will lead the committee with this observation when phil came on board dia we were in the the covid-19 pandemic. air travel was dramatically rebounding at the same time the beginning expansions going full tilt. two points one is he was able to maintain the operational efficiencies of the airport and in those challenging times but almost more importantly took a massive construction project that was behind schedule and over budget and sorted it out in

record time. if you look at the investments in this country is going to make an air transportation, having someone who has repeated examples of difficult construction projects have that person holding accountable the entire investment or making transportation is i think the right direction. quick center at wicker thank you. >> thank you madam chair moment in mr. washington and sgt major washington thank you. i have a great gel of respect for your service with united states military. i say that is a veteran who did not do anything nearly what you were able to do as a command sgt major. you were nominated in july of 2022, is that correct? >> yes letter sgt major, i think it is fair to say already be in office you've already be confirmed if there had not been serious bipartisan questions

about your qualifications and your fitness for office pretty gives me great pleasure to say that. i am chairman of this committee and ranking member and i'm been on for a long time. this is what is going on with your nomination is not my idea of a good time. but it is a responsibility that i think we have. at the time you were nomination on this position for about a year. safety is the top priority of the faa. and i think ends of the dais there been serious questions on your expertise in that area that's been pointed out in some of the questions. on your resume at denver e site specifically success, renovation

program and facilities and implementation of a career pathway. again that does not qualify you for this position. in particular with what has been going on in the last few months with regard to these misses is very, very troubling something senator chris said said you might been confirmed for the amtrak board you had been nominated for that. he still would've had had to get better answers to these questions about investigations about allegations still out there with public corruption.

you have been involved in multiple corruption investigations accused of retaliating against a whistleblower that exposes. involvement with a series and no bid contracts awarded by l.a. metro to a nonprofit to operate sexual-harassment hotline. investigation say it costs up in messier's more than $8000 per call. most of these calls for missiles or spam. the nonprofit awarded the contract was a close friend and campaign donor i'm in l.a. supervisor. the investigation is still pending and has been taken over just recently by the california attorney general. and in addition you have been accused of discriminating and retaliating against the whistleblower who received six

or $25000 settlement. i am not sure for any position with this being unresolved that you would have been confirmed. and again against me and a pleasure to say this. just days ago a lawsuit was filed by the denver international airport's former senior vice president of parking, left his post. the lawsuit alleges discriminatory pay and discriminatory practices at the airport. again that the search warrant including accusations of misconduct and seeking a record of your communications. it is not yet been resolved, as

we meet in the california attorney general's office is still conducting this investigation. we need a very qualified person in charge of the faa immediately. for the life of me i do not understand the president persist based on so many questions the corruption aspect in the qualification aspect that i think the bipartisan opposition will continue. >> thank you cantwell. the faa has been without a permanent administrative for nearly a year. this is a hatchet job. it's not me the republicans and their allies by attacking him,

throwing everything they have to try to stop a qualified nominee. in doing so they are smearing longtime public servant and an army veteran. mr. washington has decades of experience overseeing large complex transportation organizations pay runs at denver international airport the world's third busiest airport event l.a. metro largest transportation systems in the world. serving in the u.s. army tank commander for highest noncommissioned officer can achieve. he's facing a sneer campaign and bring people posing as nomination are trying to desperately turn every aspect of his career into a scandal. anyone who has been in leadership gets sued. i think i was sued two months ago. they named every member of the congressional delegation. i think is there are of the legislators actually threw the

summons over my fence fence and you got served. i did know that was a thing. i went back to my staff many of our lawyers this and what is this i said the name the governor this is similar 17 individual defendants the entire board of directors and that u.s. secretary of labor. that is not a serious lawsuit mention he called out from what it is produced nonsense is immaterial to these proceedings. it's just a pretext for imposing the confirmations this critical agency because again mr. washington as well qualified for the job during the time a seat eo the airport has seen a nearly 20% increase in passengers, substantially contributed to by my arrivals are more h and l every monday. before becoming ceo there he spent six years at ceo elements from the transportation system in our country's largest metro area. before that he spent six years

at ceo of the denver transportation district overseeing a transportation system over 50 million-dollar writers annually. mr. washington is skilled in public administer extensive record and he knows transportation. ignoring this to punish him over for fake scandals is absurd. mr. washington exact impersonation one experience needed to leave the faa and is ready to step into this role. so my question for you mr. washington, can you tell me how your experience is going to help enable you to be a guide faa administrator? >> thank you for the question, senator. denver international airport is impartially third largest safety is number one. all of our airports. it will be for me in the faa.

what do you do when you first get up in the morning as a ceo denver international airport? i talked about reading if you will. hate is what is going on right then at that airport. it is also the tsa went times. everything in the airport for i believe what i am doing now when i have done for the last 40 years to include my military career is directly transferable in terms of especially leadership. leadership is a real thing. it is a real skill motivating people, inspiring people. getting people to do what they would otherwise not do. as a real skill. we talk on the faa we are told a

different kind of organization. they got a different skill set to run now in this day and time. and i think and perhaps the table. quick give. quick terminal and thank you. mr. washington thank you for your presence here today. i represent the state in which aviation is hugely important. someone in the most components of how kansans earn a living. we are known as air capitol to remanufacture general aviation commercial, aircraft defense. your safety and navigation aids. certainly the faa and its administrator is among the most important federal agencies and individuals who have to our constituents and to the country in this case.

yesterday kansas ellie celebrated the opening of its new airport. we are excited about that. wichita has a new airport, eisenhower, but i also represent as was indicated earlier by i think it was the senator from colorado the importance of the small and regional airports, essential air service at the exception of alaska, kansas is dependent on those programs to make sure the rural airports are able to remain available and open and the transportation occurs and we forget sometimes the importance bringing a

patient to a physician to crop dusting to earn a living in agriculture that airplane matters greatly so this is hugely important and i've invited every faa administrator that i've been in congress to spend time with me and if you are confirmed i will make that request. the leadership needs to be consistent, bold different than it has been in the sense that we've had too many changes and times and we need consistency. i would be delighted to know how you believe you can manage the magnitude of the job and you've indicated that to some degree. let me give you an example and tell me how you would handle this. the aviation industry in recovering from the pandemic

experienced a tremendous backlog supply chain problem, difficulty getting answers from the faa but also getting parts and materials from suppliers. throughout the pandemic the protection of the aviation supply chain has been important to me and senator cantwell and legislation evidenced by the manufacturing jobs protection program. so tell me how you would handle the magnitude of problems when there's a crisis in this country and tell me about your experience again that allows you to lead an agency at such consequences and the decisions it makes. >> thank you for the question, senator. when you talk about the stabilii think bringing stability to the faa is part of addressing those issues so what i would do is put

together a plan, a tactical plan around supply chain and have that as a first priority for me. some of the issues we've seen around the country now with material cost increases and inflation and all those things is tied into the availability of theories materials. so putting a plan together to address that is one of the first things i would do. the other thing i think about, you mention the subsidies, the communities, essential air service and those sorts of things. the faa needs to do better with those subsidies as well and that would be one of my priorities but that is your question

putting together a solid plan to address rural airports in places like kansas would be one of my first priority is. >> i don't think it's through any fault of your own. you and i have not met until we shook hands a moment ago and if you are interested and i would make sure if you would come to my office i hope you would accept the invitation. >> senator peters. >> thank you madam chair. you've been nominated for a very tough job and i just want to thank you for your willingness to take on this responsibility. certainly you have the experience, the qualifications, the leadership qualities necessary to lead the faa during a challenging time so thank you for your willingness to take on this difficult task.

i've long advocated for the faa to transition away from the use of toxic containing firefighting foams and in fact in the 2018 faa reauthorization eyelid the adoption of language that protected the faa to no longer require the use. last year president biden signed into law by legislation entitled preventing runoff at airports act that allows them to purchase the equipment they need to test firefighting response without discharging toxic chemicals. airports continue to lead the way but they need a strong partner in the faa to fully transition away from the use and protect the communities from further contamination. i would like to know if

confirmed how will that experience shaped your approach to ending these substances in aviation? >> thank you for the question, senator. i agree this is an important issue. we started our own voluntary cleanup. we've already started and i know not everyone can do that but we want to start with including our employees. my understanding is that the new performance requirements for the firefighting position earlier this year by dod we would work with dod, and i think that's if confirmed i would have a special relationship with the department of defense but we would work to develop a transition plan. there are a number of airports that are doing this very well and so perhaps there is a sort

of a peer to peer exchange that can occur while we are waiting on that alternative as well. so i would bring what we are doing at denver and scale that up because i think we are addressing the pfas problem probably better than most airports around the country. >> last week i asked the acting administrator nolan about improving faa efforts to integrate unmanned aerial systems into our national airspace. communities in my state of michigan are looking to take advantage of this cutting edge technology and a lot of economic opportunity that will result from that. however, there are major barriers to adoption including slow implementation of the provisions that my colleagues and i passed and the 2018 reauthorization bill. my question for you is if confirmed will you commit to prioritizing efforts to ensure the u.s. maintains a global

leadership and advanced aviation particularly unmanned aerial systems? >> thank you for the question, senator. absolutely. and that gets to what i think is the slow pace of rulemaking as well. one of my priorities is to streamline internally to start with internal to faa to streamline the rulemaking process and so absolutely i agree we need to move on this and understand and keep pace with industry on unmanned aerial systems. i will do that as administrator. >> i challenge the homeland security and governmental affairs one of my priorities is to ensure airports have the tools to counter those who may use you aes as a threat as a

domestic security risk. the faa has been working to understand how the systems affect the airspace and transportation. they need to work together to protect our critical infrastructure from these threats. they have a lot of opportunities but also present serious threats to airspace and critical infrastructure as well as you know. if confirmed will you commit to work with me to make sure that there's a robust interagency coordination to counter you aes efforts? >> thank you for the question, senator, absolutely and i think i know the biden administration proposed legislation to expand authority is out there. faa has been a partner and i will continue that path. >> thank you madam chair. >> thank you, senator peters. >> it's difficult to think of a time in recent history when the faa has been confronted with more challenges on top of

implementing the last faa authorization and certification reform bill the agencies contained with increasingly complex airspace system that must accommodate the commercial space activity and integration of drones and advanced air mobility aircraft. managing all the challenges while maintaining the highest level of safety in the world's busiest aviation system requires extensive aviation experience. i'm concerned that they've done away with addressing the challenges further setting back the modernization of the air traffic control system and jeopardizing aviation safety. recent travel disruptions especially those related to recent issues and failure of the system in january -underscore the need for action. so as the committee begins work on the next reauthorization is essential to ensure the agency has strong capable leadership and i appreciate the opportunity

to review mr. washington's qualifications. the competitiveness framework for beyond line of sight operations especially since many certification applications through the current process language for years i believe the declared framework for such operations in the safety and efficiency and i intend to work with of the chair and ranking member to integrate the legislation in the reauthorization bill so my question is if confirmed can you describe how you would work to create a beyond regulatory framework and streamline the worthiness approval process for you uas. >> that would be a priority of mine. i know they are doing work around this right now.

i will check on the progress but this is very important to keep pace with industry around this issue. for the workforce to set up that framework i would make this a priority i think right now i listen to the acting administrator talk about 2020 for being ready around 2024. i would want to accelerate that and i think we can do that. in los angeles i created with a what icalled in office of extraordinary innovation to do just that, to work with industry to make sure that we entertain and look to implement various innovative things and i think when we talk about advanced air mobility that is a perfect example for one so we would move

that forward. >> this bill senator warner and i worked to address the users than those operating and lower altitudes such as helicopters and agricultural aviation however i would say there's more work that needs to be done to ensure with of the stakeholders so i hope we will stay on top of it and work to get this done in a timely way. let me ask from your perspective what should be done to ensure the coexistent beyond the operations at low altitude? talk about what you think of the solution. >> one solution is to make sure that the faa itself is ready to implement that.

one of my concerns is whether internally we are able to take that on. i would want to sit down with industry and partnering sessions to understand what the challenges are from their perspective and to be ready to implement when they are ready and keeping track of industries. i would bring them in and sit down with of them immediately to find out what the constraints are and move forward in that way. >> during my time as the chair of the committee we considered am an active authorization act of 2018 and included prioritization of the upgrades to bolster the air traffic control system. the fees in addition to the concepts such as dynamic management will allow the u.s. to better utilize the

infrastructure and increase the capacity and efficiency. there's issues across the country that have highlighted the need of modernization so i know my time is up but from your perspective, the specific technology upgrades that you prioritize to prevent those like occurred in new york and austin. >> thank you. the installation of new technology is one thing, but the integration of that technology is quite another thing and the training of faa employees is quite another thing and i think we have to think about the integration. a lot of the installation is already done but i'm concerned about the integration of the technology to use it to its full capacity. >> thank you, senator thune. senator duckworth.

>> thank you for holding today's hearing. i want to thank you for your quarter century of service to the nation in uniform. it's said that the mto is the backbone of the army and the backbone, a strong one is exactly what you need to be faa administrator because you need to stand up to pressures from aircraft manufacturers as well as airlines looking to reduce or circumvent critical aviation safety requirements. there's a saying about aviation regulation that they are written in blood when deadly accidents happen we investigate and adjust regulations to ensure whatever went wrong never happens again but only after blood has been shed. following the crash congress passed the law to require all airline pilots to complete 1500 flight hours. the faa rejected the proposals to waterdown the key safety

requirement. major washington, when we spoke last year we talked about my belief in the 1500 hour rule. i believe that isn't based on evidence left emotion and as my expertise and also as a former commander of an army aviation company where i was in charge of the training the the aviation training of my soldiers. we know how critical real-world flight experience is for safety. i accept there will always be those that want to give into temptation for a quick fix or easy answers especially when there is a critical aviation workforce shortage but as the church of the subcommittee and aviator it's my responsibility to stand up for a basic safety principle. hours in the cockpit are ours, spend in the seat and in the air cannot be replaced no matter how

many hours you spend in the hall or a simulator. experience and expertise, the life savings are earned through hours of hard work and dedication to the craft and piloting of aircraft. will you commit to defending the rule and rejecting any proposal to weaken or waterdown a common sense requirement that before we place commercial passengers in the hands of a new pilot that pilot must first gain at least 1500 hours of flight time? >> thank you for the question. if confirmed i will not deviate from that standard. i agree with you that the 1500 hour rule should stay in place. i've never believed in lowering the standard.

i believed in bringing people up to the standard and that is very important so i would not deviate from that standard. >> simulators are important and good but have a reset button where you get to be reborn again. it's not the same as being in a cockpit in the environment and i know you've trained in many types of simulators. my second question for you as we discussed last year i remained concerned about the hesitancy to use a civil enforcement authority. there are two issues involving the 737 that i find just stunning but not in a good way. the evidence that came to light in the investigation, and i have a graphic that's up here this is an internal memo documenting plans to avoid using the term outside of the company and

instead describe the new functions as an addition to the already existing speed trim system. the memos suggest, and i quote if we emphasize the new function there may be greater certification training and practice. even worse the memo says the plan to downplay the significance was approved by an authorized representative which was a boeing employee that the faa authorized to conduct certification work on behalf of the agency. this is what, i mean, to have pressures from the industry yet faa never investigated this internal memo and i'm not aware of any civil enforcement action against the responsible individuals. as you know pilots inability to arrest led to two deadly crashes killing 346 people. the other issue is apparently boeing new that it was an

inoperable on more than 80% of the 737 aircraft and in direct violation of the plans boeing did not inform the faa or pilots of this for more than a year and only did so after the first deadly crash. at the data was a factor in the crashes yet faa as it stands currently doesn't appear to have taken any civil enforcement actions against boeing. while i'm pleased the department departmentinspector general is g these issues i fear this speaks to a broad reluctance to use civil enforcement authority. will you commit to using the full civil enforcement authority as appropriate? >> thank you for the question, senator. yes. to acknowledge the families in

advocating for holding boeing and faa accountable and if confirmed i would do what has already been conveyed. i would also lean into the workforce and they will always have the time to conclude civil enforcement. >> i have a final question for the record. >> thanks for being here today. i have some concerns with your nomination but first of all i'm sad i just want to say thank you for your service to the country, through the military. he a lot of veterans and military installations in north carolina so we appreciate what you've done. you've been nominated to lead an agency with authority to regulate aircraft, airspace. the u.s. has some of the most

complex airspace in the world. over 2,000 registered aircraft and a million pilots in the country and over 45,000 flights per day handled by gc. with recent issues under the biden administration with flight disruptions over christmas, air missions ground stop in the recent near miss incidents in new york, texas and yesterday boston. my colleagues and i were concerned about the many civil parts of your background and lack of aviation experience. there's many regulations the faa issued orders in the process of developing. here's one for instance the faa is spending billions on its nexgen program to modernize national airspace. a key part of the update is moving towards gps navigation for pilots. as part of this transition, the

faa recently required airplanes to be equipped with transponders. can you quickly tell me what airspace requires a ada be transponder? >> thank you for the question, senator. not sure i can answer the question right now. >> it's okay it's a pretty important part. the faa classified airspace to meet the needs of airports, air traffic and also national security. the faa also has special use airspace over dod bases critical to national security. so what are the six types of special use airspace that protect that are on the charts?

quickly, please. >> sorry, senator i cannot answer the question. >> we will just keep going. since world war ii the faa has required pilots to have a valid medical certificate. in recent years the faa has relaxed these standards through the introduction of the sport pilot certificate and a basic med that has been a great success. more than 70,000 in the past six years have used basic med to maintain their flying privileges, so it comes with limitations. what are the operational limitations? >> thank you for the question. i'm not a pilot -- >> obviously the federal aviation administration any idea what those restrictions are, quickly? >> some of the restrictions would be high blood pressure, some of them would be -- >> it's more like how many passengers per airplane, how

many pounds and of the amount of knots under 250. so it doesn't have anything to do with the blood pressure. i will keep going. i've heard you talk about aviation safety and it being a particular concern. stalls been accidents or a particular concern for advocates. accidents involving a stall involved 25% of fatal aviation accidents and these have been at spins at low speed and low altitude and are particularly dangerous. can you tell me what causes an aircraft to spin or stall? >> again i'm not a pilot, but i would lean on our career employees and safety folks within the faa. >> okay let's keep going. so we mentioned recently 737

max. there are many questions surrounding the faa aircraft certification process. two years ago congress passed a major reform package to address the concerns. it's now up to them to implement the law issuing regulations and monitoring compliance. mr. washington what are the three aircraft certification is required as a part of the manufacturing process? three aircraft certifications. >> again, what i would say to that is one of my first priority is would be to fully implement the certification act, that's type certificate, airworthiness certificate. >> let's see if we can just get lucky year. since january, the u.s. has narrowly averted three aviation

disasters. three separate occasions airplanes came dangerously close to colliding on runways. new york jfk and the boston airport. the alston incident remind me of the accident that is the deadliest aviation accident in the history. both the accident included the twoplanes on a runway in dense . the faa's procedure manual had a separation stance and i know you run a big airport so i should probably know this one here it's going to separation standards for planes using the same runway so you tell me with the minimum separation distances for landing a departing airliner during the daytime? >> i don't want to guess on that, senator, but it would be easy for me to find out. >> the faa is behind on integrating unmanned aircraft

standards, but are you familiar with of the difference between 107 and 809 when it comes to unmanned drones? >> yes. >> do you know the difference between the 244809 and part 107, do you know the difference? >> no i cannot -- >> the faa can't afford to be led by someone that needs on-the-job training and for that reason i'm going to be opposing your nomination but thank you. >> senator klobuchar. >> mr. washington, i appreciate your incredible career and experience, 24 year veteran of the u.s. army and rose to the rank of command sergeant major. that kind of experience you have to adapt to a lot of changing circumstances and i would assume make in the moment decisions all the time. you work with people around you

to make those decisions and you also have been managing the third-biggest airport in the country is that right? >> yes. >> i am a big fan of airports you're probably familiar with minneapolis-st. paul. we've been voted the best in the country a few times. so, let's talk about first of all aviation workplace. i know you've done a lot of work on recruiting workers which is a problem part of the air service. talk a bit about how we build the aviation workforce. >> thank you for the question, senator. i think it's very important to do the things that i have been a part of for many, many years and that is again showing a career pathway. i talked about that a little earlier. i would scale that up for aviation. i think the need is so great it all of infrastructure but especially aviation.

we are building a center of equity and excellence in aviation that has a career pathway portion to that. so in addition to creating that pathway in the aviation, i would go out and be the quote on quote evangelist for aviation workforce opportunities all over this country. i think we need to do that not just for aviation but other modes as well. >> very good. the faa contract program provides critical air traffic control safety benefits to 256 smaller airports around the country including airports like st. cloud minnesota. it's a good deal for taxpayers and folks in rural communities and supports military readiness and of national security operations. if confirmed do you commit to ensuring that rural airports of the updated air traffic control facilities they need to accommodate rising air traffic

levels? >> thank you for the question. i am committed to that and would love to work with you on that. >> very good. passengers at airports experience significant travel disruptions. as you know in january due to the outage of the u.s. air missions. senator moran and i had a call with of the acting administrator on this and i led legislation to require the faa that has also bipartisan support in the past house of representative and my colleague to establish a task force to strengthen the resiliency and cybersecurity. we know that's not the only thing that needs to be done. we know there's going to be a transition to the air traffic control but if confirmed do you commit to making sure that we work with all stakeholders to

make sure this transition works and that we do a better job? >> absolutely commit to working with stakeholders and to making redundancy of the systems a top priority as well. >> i think i will ask my remaining questions after the republican questions turn over to her so thank you madam chair. >> thank you. senator vance. >> thank you madam chair and mrg here. i want to ask just a threshold question here. so this is from the la metro equity platform this is a graphic that appears on the first page and i understand this is something the platform supported over and over again. i would love for you to explain what this means. >> thank you for the question,

senator. yes, we advocated and supported equity in a big way at la metro and every organization that i've been a part of i think it is crucial for us to understand diversity equity and inclusion so what you're looking at is equity with everyone on a level playing field if you will. and that is what we exposed at every organization i've been an especially the la metro. >> what do these boxes represent? equality here they have different sized boxes and just curious what this is supposed to mean. >> that is opportunity if you will, an opportunity and how you position people that may be less fortunate for the same opportunities that other people

might receive. >> i appreciate the explanation but i don't fully understand why equality and equity are different. i would assume equality of opportunity is something that we all believe in and agree with. i worry and some of your public comments some of the things you said you tend to take this focus of explicitly saying that colorblindness and looking for people without regards to skin color is somehow ended up insult discriminatory and i was hoping to elucidate that a little bit to try to understand it a little bit better but i would like to be honest and i'm not trying to be rude i don't fully understand what this is meant to convey and how it might influence some of your policies. in an effort i would want to ask a few questions here because the aviation industry is may be the single industry where aptitude and/or safety matter more than

almost anything else and i can't imagine even going under the knife i would probably choose having a safe pilot as more important than even going under the knife for the surgery. but i want to ask sort of how this criticism of colorblindness that you've had in some remarks in your career intersect with how you think about the standards for pilots that exist in the aviation industry. a few questions do you believe the white, black and latino airline pilots should be able to read, speak and understand english before becoming commercial airline pilots? >> yes, i do. >> thank you. do you believe white, black and latino airline pilots should have to hold a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating as they currently have to do? >> yes, i do. >> great. do you believe white, black and latino pilots should have to have at least 1500 total flight time to receive a transport license? >> yes, i do.

>> thank you mr. washington. here's the reason why i ask those questions. because there is an inconsistency between some of the diversity equity and inclusion rhetoric on the one hand and the fact that we should hold everybody to equal standards no matter what. i have three young children, a 5-year-old, 3-year-old and 1-year-old. a couple grandparents live in san diego, california so they are on a flight a couple times a year at least. i'm totally supportive of what you might call a rooney rule. i believe if we take black or white citizens or anybody that doesn't have the same opportunity as anybody else it's great to make the extra effort to ensure they have the opportunity to become commercial airline pilots were federal administrators, whatever the case may be. but i worry about is some of the aviation industry, some of the experts and ideas centered around diversity and inclusion seem to take the idea that we should relax the standards in an effort to promote certain groups

of certain racial or gender categories. i think that is a terrible, terrible way to run an airline industry. i don't really care whether the pilots that i have, what their gender is or skin color is i just care about whether they can do the job, but i hope that you are committed to the same attitude because if we don't have safe airline pilots and we relax the standards for a certain skin color or gender it's going to be disastrous quite literally. thank you. >> senator cantwell has left to vote so i recognize myself for five minutes to question the witness. before i begin my questions, i do want to take a moment to express my condolences to the families who were killed in the fatal crash of a medical transport flights near stagecoach nevada on friday. and i am so thankful for our first responders for the hard-working people at the national transportation safety

board. who my team has been in touch with and we will continue in our hearts go out to those families. i would like to speak about concerns. travel and tourism, the backbone of the economy, the airports are the gateway to everything we have to offer, everything that we do and therefore it is incredibly critical that we have an faa administrator with experience promoting safe, efficient air travel so i do look forward in the coming weeks to learning more about the record and whether your adequately prepared for the position i am also going to thank you for your service to this nation and we are indebted to you for that and we thank

you. i hope you agree like all of us it's the most important aspect. harry reid international airport in las vegas saw a record 52 million travelers in 2022 and our airports like so many others across the country have been left unable to raise critical safety and security concerns about nearby obstructions through the current evaluation airport airspace process and i know it's a long title but it's so important we have to ensure this analysis is robust and follows all stakeholder input and in particular takes the safety and security the concerns so if confirmed how will you ensure that this analysis process is sufficient to account for the concerns about the air

and ground safety? >> thank you for the questions, senator. i would certainly want to work with you on that and i understand that the analysis the faa uses is primarily focused on the air traffic impacts versus the obstruction and as opposed to the security concerns i appreciate you bringing it to our attention and i would certainly want to work with you on that to get the details on the traffic impacts versus obstruction. >> i want to move to something that again is important. the international airport is kind of at the one end of the las vegas strip and nevada quickly emerged we are home to the las vegas raters into the

nba champion we hosted a draft for the next host of the super bowl this also makes us a target for bad actors when individuals are gathered about 65,000 and they've imposed temporary restrictions over stadium events congress codified of these these requirements. however this books leagues have reported violations so if confirmed it's of course impacting the safety of everyone there. how will you ensure federal policy not only continues for these long-standing protections for stadiums but keeps evolving with of these new threats as they continue to grow?

>> i would want to work with you on that to understand exactly what the issues are. there's a lot of interest in how they will be integrated and how they will be used at airports around various government functions and facilities. if confirmed i would certainly want to work closely with you on that is a topic under reauthorization as well. >> the drones are increasingly growing and again smaller and growing in strength so we have to address that. i only have a few seconds left so i'm going to go quickly again those used for critical infrastructure inspection thereis bipartisan legislation i introduced with senator bozeman authorizing 100 billion to competitive grants allowing them to purchase and operate of drones they can go in and out of

bridges and through tunnels and take pictures and see things that might be more difficult for humans to get to so we have been seeking technical assistance for some time. will you commit to working with us if confirmed at the very least to provide formal feedback so we can use this technology for safety for the critical infrastructure? >> absolutely, senator. i am going to recognize senator schmidt for his questions. >> thank you, senator. mr. washington, how are you? >> good. >> the administration had equity czars in every department and they haven't been authorized by congress in any way shape or form but will implement initiatives for the equitable outcomes. this isn't about opportunity for all americans but mandating

certain outcomes and a simple yes or no answer do you intend if confirmed to have the so-called equities are as a member of your senior staff? >> i do think there is a role to play with equity organizations so i would definitely look at that. >> i think an equity person is not necessary, yes. at the state at the mission to provide the safest most efficient air no space system in the world there seems to be disconnect between what some of the current activities are so let me recap with transportation aerospace news to first complete ground stop of civilian air travel since 9/11 because of the meltdown a trained derailment in

east palestine and slowly poisoning in ohio community several near misses of civilian cargo planes at the texas airport and california airport. i could keep going but i think you get the point. what is the department of transportation and faa focused on, changing the name of the system to be more inclusive and putting time and effort into woke projects and putting time at the time they could be improving the antiquated systems and i will tell you right now the folks in missouri and of the american people don't care one bit if people are getting a pat on the back they want pilots that have the safety information the best pilots in the world so the american public can travel efficiently and safely. your prior record and what you've already testified here

today shows you will be more focused on aggressively pushing the project since to factually ensuring the safety and efficiency across the system. these projects with left-wing advocates of dreams and mind-boggling quite frankly have procurement proposals at the denver airport to have an equity plan and furthermore force those reviewing the contract proposals to, quote, look for social, cultural merits as they consider contracts. yes or no do you intend to make faa staffers if you are confirmed look at the social, cultural merits if confirmed? >> safety will always be my number one priority. >> but you did this at denver. are you going to require the merits of contracts to be considered? >> i think that's one of the factors we need to look at along with everything else.

>> just last year you wanted a center for equity and excellence built in denver for $40 million. this would have a hall of equity for training sessions. yes or no mr. washington do you think families in denver in order because the country are interested in spending millions of dollars for the halls of equity? >> thank you for the question, senator. i think families in denver are interested in the safety of the airport and i deliver that on a daily basis. >> 40 million is a lot of money you would agree? is that the most pressing issue? >> i think one of the pressing issues is to make sure we have a qualified workforce for years to come. your record of pushing the ideology of the transit system is alarming. last year the biden

administration posed a budget that listed its priorities in this order. first climate change, second increasing equity and investments in safety modernization this emphasis matters. the fy 2023 budget had over 700 what i'm sorry $570 million for equity and in another $760 million for climate change projects to meet global standards set by the international civil aviation organization, simple yes or no if confirmed as the faa administrator do you intend to use taxpayer dollars to prioritize the climate change over safety? >> i am going to follow along. >> congress certainly hasn't voted on that so are you going to prioritize the two is the president indicated? >> safety will be number one a

extent on undefined equity projects and don't want the ideological agenda thrust upon them so this is our only opportunity to speak for them because they want safety, affordability and i am concerned the faa has lost its way and your track record seems to indicate that you are much more in line with this prioritization of diversity equity inclusion, climate change over safety and that's very concerning to me. >> during the 24 year career in the united states army, he achieved the rank of command.

no one understands safety better than the command i have no doubt that he understands exactly what his job will be. he served as the chief of operations in the logistics division and rules that require superlative divulge in its and commitments. mr. washington has an exceptional track record of delivering major infrastructure

projects on time and under budget in denver and los angeles is a command sergeant major would. mr. washington, as a dedicated public servant, leader, safely and on time. there's far too much at stake to play politics with this nomination with skyrocketing cancellations and including one at the airport monday this week. you need a permanent faa administrator. as somebody knows what they are doing. mr. washington is the right person for this job at this time. i'm going to turn to climate change from runways in london to southwest airlines holiday meltdowns, climate change is

significantly impacting the aviation system. mr. washington, do you agree it poses new challenges for airlines, airports and the faa? >> yes, i do. >> there's a report a few weeks ago that burlington vermont 7 degrees fahrenheit warmer than 1970. you translate that across the country in the years to come its it's fundamentally and the risks posed to the infrastructure. just this morning we saw new brookings research that found airports are under dire threats from climate change and i'd like to enter disconcerting research into the record concerning that study. that's why i'm working on

legislation to improve the resiliency of our aviation system particularly at the airports and i look forward to working with my colleagues on that issue. and i want to turn if i made to another issue related to airport resiliency, airport service workers. those individuals are the unsung heroes of our aviation system but they are often overworked and underpaid. they wouldn't function his wheelchair attendants, ramp agents, baggage handlers didn't do their jobs. they are the hidden figures to ensure that airports work. the pilots walking through in their beautiful uniforms they are the people that show up at e sure that the airports function all day long. mr. washington, do you agree the service workers are critical to the operation and reliability of the aviation system?

>> senator, absolutely. >> last congress i introduced the good jobs for good airports act that would help ensure airport service workers are paid a living wage and benefits. it's time we repay the sacrifices of airport service workers. we give a lot of federal money into airports across this country. we've just got to make sure that it goes out to these workers. they are largely of color. women, and they are not wealthy at all and we have to make sure that they get the resources they need to take care of their families the same way they take care of hours. mr. washington we are going to work very hard to get you confirmed. we need you on the job. you spent your whole life getting ready for this job. you would be a superior faa administrator. >> thank you.

senator fischer. >> thank you madam chair. first of all, thank you for your many years of military service. i congratulate you on those years when you defended this country. thank you. march 10, 2022, skywest filed a 90 day notice of its intent to terminate service of 29 essential air service communities. at the time, nebraska had three communities that were served by skywest. essential air service is critical for the rural communities. so how will you ensure that the communities will be served when the regional carriers struggle to find those pilots if you were confirmed? >> thank you for the question, senator. that would be one of my top priorities. i would look to work with you and your office on that.

i think the faa has done some work and then the grants that are subsidized in that area and i would continue that work. >> will the faa committed to continuing to make sure they meet their contractual obligations in providing service to rural communities? >> yes, senator. >> skywest applied for a part 131 charter to help better serve these communities, but there's a backlog at faa. do you know the average time is for faa to process the applications and what would you do as an administrator to address that? >> thank you for the question, senator. one of the things i want to look at is all of the timelines to process things like that, rulemaking all across the board. i think that we can improve upon

that. i think in terms of rulemaking it takes far too long even internally from what i've seen. so i will make that a priority to move those things along. >> these applications that i've referenced here are vital to be able to get those out so the small rural communities where it essential air service is exactly that. it's essential air service. and as i said we have many of those across the state. nebraska, and to be able to serve not just the people in the communities but commerce to keep rural america vitally of strong. this has to be a priority. it has to be addressed. >> and i agree. and post pandemic travel we've seen an increase in that many travelers have experienced

flight cancellations and delays following the situations we usually see a bunch of finger pointing between the airlines and air traffic control. does the faa have a staffing shortage for air traffic controllers? >> it's one of the things i want to look at, senator. one of the questions i have is what goes into the staffing model to determine what the headcount is. ..

so it's the same for ground transportation. wrap up what you want, the same thing with controllers as well. >> you know, just to note here at last year faa open the application only one time for the general public to apply for this air traffic control training areas. do you think that application should be open more often? what kind of changes would you specifically suggest for that? >> thank you for the question senator pretty went to look at continuous openings. there are a lot of positions. >> continuous training as well? to reach a critical mass with applications before you do the training.

folks yes, i think we need you both. we need to have a continuous recruitment. and i think we need to look at training year-round. >> my time is up sir thank you very much. >> thank you chair, i appreciate the time. mr. washington thank you for being here and thank you for your service, sir. state of new mexico as a destination too many to come out and get to our mountains or experience our public spaces, fall in love with new mexico. there's programs out there like essential air service that have been spoken about two dates that provide critical connections to rural communities as well. this time of year while many out-of-state visitors are coming to ski in santa fe or other ski areas, many are coming for family reasons are national security reasons department of energy laboratories are military

installations. on my way back home to new mexico i spent a good amount of time at denver international airport. sometimes i think i spent a little too much time there. nonetheless it helps to get a helmet. no hard feelings to my colleagues on the committee, but our runways don't melt in new mexico. our runways do not freeze on over into that nature. so, what i want to ask this understanding some these airlines have not brought back flights to pre-pandemic levels confirmed what it takes to not only bring back a pre-pandemic levels, but to increase service to growing economies like albuquerque and other airports there not experience in the same experience of others in the region are experiencing. >> thank you for the question senator. i definitely like to work with you on that.

in denver the airport was built for 50 million annual passengers. we are at 70 million right now. we're looking at 100 million in the next five -- eight years. this is a factor of making sure your airport can accommodate those increased numbers. and so i would want to work with you on working with airlines to increase those. it's not faa's primary sort of job. there was a mention of africa a little bit earlier but that was a proactive way to get direct flights to the continent of africa. so many times the airport team has to do that themselves, to go out and sell their region in terms of tourism and all the things i look forward to working with you on that very quick to forward to learning from you.

there unfortunately is growing agreement many air carriers do not sufficiently prioritize consumer protections. one area were some articles i have read disturbed me greatly are parents of young children. they describe horrific stories where the children got too hot, overheated, heat stroke because those planes get really hot there stuck on the tarmac for example. while the delay rule helped immensely in their concerns i have about occupant safety. so if confirmed as faa administrator to commit to working with me on this issue as well? >> absolute senator. this is under the authority of the secretary's office. but obviously i would work with you and the secretary's office and coordinating that. >> out a project that very much. one last question i have is not

commercial space industry which is poised for explosive growth in coming years. now the faa in the office of commercial transportation are critical in the support of this new era of exploration. while the faa received increase in funding in recent years to increase workforce and improve its process for licensing permits, i continue to hear the lack of personal employer training to meet the rising commercial space and recent operations. if confirmed, can you commit to prioritizing hire additional employees at faa, review this all in support of space commercial travel? >> thank you for the question senator. i can commit to making sure we have the resources in place to meet the challenge around commercial space. so i commit to that. >> i appreciate that.

i imagine there'll be a bipartisan effort to work closely with you on that space as well. i hope to work closely with my friends and colleagues from my neighbor to the east in texas as most other places around the united states. madam chair thank you for this hearing, for this time and again mr. washington i look forward to your confirmation. quick senator young. >> welcome mr. washington. click sir, really appreciate your military service. someone who wore the uniform for a bit of time myself i really have great respect for what you accomplish in the military. i have to tell you, as we look at your nomination to serve in this capacity i am quite concerned about your lack of aviation and aviation safety experience. this administration has been on watch we've seen her first nationwide ground stop since

911. this was due to problems with the faa's very own system. you've been nominated to lead. at multiple near misses and recent months. the faa's own website states the faa's mission is to provide the safest arrow system in the world, and the world. when that someone that can ensure it fulfills that mission. the most efficient safest arrow system in the world. as you know, federal law requires the faa administrator the position you have been nominated for most among other things have experience in the field directly, directly related to aviation. i'm looking at your resume, it is right here. it is really impressive. so let the world know the man before this committee is really

impressive and honorable record of service without blemishes to my knowledge. but it is thin by my reading as it pertains to this direct aviation experience. spent a lot of time in the u.s. army. your career was to focus per your resume at logistics, hr, training and operations. you are not an army pilot. you did not work in aviation units. your very first roughly 40 years ago your very first assignment as an enlisted soldier was air defense artillery unit. i worked with unmanned aerial vehicle squadron but i was in the u.s. marine corps. that certainly did not qualify me, and my mind to be faa administrator. and recent years you spent a few

years as ceo of elliott metro transport authority. but they oversaw rail and bus transit. no mention here at least of aviation responsibilities. then for the rough lasley 18 months ceo of denver international airport. i visited with ceos of airports they vary in expertise accomplishment and efficiency. i know so much of that job involves ensuring the tenants in that shopping area with multiple purposes in addition to aviation remain happy. and the customers going in and out are happy. so 18 months, maybe there's been an 18 month marination and aviation's achievements ceo of denver airport.

i'm going to give you an opportunity as so often does not happen in these hearings to explain concisely if you will why you are qualify for this job, sir? >> thank you for the question senator. i think about a few things, and running ground transportation unit is on a train operator either. but i was named the best transportation -- my transportation ceo in this country. i think about traits like leadership. i think about traits like managing pretty think about traits like convening people to get things done. i think about what i call adaptive leadership. aviation right now we cannot think about doing things the old way. and so i think a fresh perspective is needed obviously. safety is number one and as i

said earlier leading, trusting and directing our safety experts as part of the job. my broad transportation knowledge and real world leadership experience of both military and transportation infrastructure systems serve me well. >> i have no doubt sir you are in many respects a plug and play leader and manager. this is something our senior enlisted and much of our officer corps incorrectly and accurately identify as. i want to validate that for what it is worth. i will say statutorily this position requires having experience in the field that is directly related. directly related to aviation. words have meaning statutes have

meaning and it is unclear at this point spring will continue to do homework, give you an opportunity after this hearing to elaborate on what you have just said. it is unclear your background as i have laid it out is directly related to aviation. thank you very much, sir. quick senator baldwin. >> thank you madam chair. mr. washington, welcome to the committee. thank you for both your service to this nation in the military as well as your continued commitment to public service. i want to talk a little bit about the pilot workforce and pilot shortages. and opportunities that may present to us right now. i understand less than 10% of licensed pilots, the women in

aviation advisory board released a report last year that included a recommendation that congress provide additional financial tools for careers in aviation. in pursuit of that goal that raise the level of federal student loan availability for those who wish to become pilots. and they plan to introduce that measuring coming weeks. i am wondering if you believe additional financial tools like student loans may help women and other underrepresented groups enter the aviation workforce. and also, given your recognition 2017 for advancing women in transportation were generally, how do you plan to continue that important work as administrator of the faa? >> thank you for the question senator. this has been a huge priority and passion of mine during my

time in los angeles, my six years there 49% of the promotions during that time was for women. we stood up late women and girls governing council to understand how women travel ways to improve the system as it relates the traveling of women. this has been a, really huge for me. to women and people of color. our workforce looks like the people we serve all do that look for to work with your office on that.

our military veterans will play a vital role in our workforce. i will be reintroducing a bipartisan bill called the american aviator act. which with authorized grant funding to the faa to support training for veterans were not military pilots but wish to become pilots in their civilian careers. as well as your background on the noncommissioned officer military, how do you plan to use the decades of leadership and transportation agencies to advance the careers of other militaries? >> thank you for the question. i will be a walking billboard for veterans to come into aviation.

i mentioned earlier transit assistant that are at every military base and these are for veterans that are leaving service really focusing on them and those programs. pilots are one thing but i also think about mechanics. i think about those skill sets that keep the aircraft in the air. i will be huge on that it would be a huge priority. >> thank you for that. you are ceo of the third busiest airport in the country if not the world. i'm not sure which. >> the world. >> all right. the vital role our airports play in ensuring communities can access national airspace. i want to talk about smaller airports for a second i reps on the state of wisconsin.

would you be able to share your perspectives on the world small middle size airports including most of what we have in the state of wisconsin how do we make sure they are able to continue to play -- to serve all of our community. i worry about that when you hear airlines leaving some of the airports or cutting down service significantly. >> that play a critical role in connecting to the national system. they play a critical role in connecting small communities. a per the issue of cold-weather and aip funding after the construction season has ended. i will look for ways the faa can be flexible and supportive small airport locales.

>> thank you. >> thank you, senator blackburn. >> thank you madam chairman. i want to commend you, mr. washington, on the career you have had it being a command sergeant major is quite an accomplishment. it is something the faa will probably need at this time because so many people in tennessee that i talk with feel like we are in an aviation crisis. the chinese five a little, some of the near misses in the air including the flight from a jetblue flight from nashville to boston earlier this week escaped a near miss.

that really concerned by secretary buttigieg would prioritize environmental justice and climate change and is 2023 budget framework. it seems safety should be the top priority and not these other issues. and i know we discussed, different ones have discussed that today. but i want to go back to that changing the name of the next hand system firm airmen to mission. i'd ask you if you think that was worth all the personnel time that went into that. all of the many documents that had to be altered to make that change. do you feel that was an appropriate use of the department time and resources at a time when we are dealing with

the flying public, air cargo. >> thank you for the question senator. safety would always be my number one priority i have reiterated that. >> that's not my question to you. i said you think it was appropriate? there is a time and place for everything. you have to pick priorities. should that be the priority? should dti be the priority at a time when people are concerned about safety and air travel? i was not a part of that decision so i hesitate too. >> do you see it as a priority? i'm asking your opinion it is a simple question yes or no was it appropriate? >> it is a priority. >> okay so let me ask you this.

give me answers to these questions yes or no. i have been concerned as we look at some of what has happened during your time at the denver international airport, diversity equity inclusion was one of the airports for guiding principles. the airport proposed reforms along these lines to incorporate the policies into its procurement process. concerning these changes you stated and i am quoting, these new practices will enrich our process to identify the best partners to award contracts to so that across all of our efforts and at every level we are integrating values of equity, diversity, and inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability into our

business". so, yes or no are airports racist? and is the faa racist? >> i do not believe they are. >> thank you for that. if confirmed you plan to implement similar requirement for the faa procurement process? >> not in my plan right now. i want to take a look. >> okay you cannot answer me yes or no? people are concerned about safety. you know on the average how long procurement processes take for the faa? >> i do not have that information, no. >> okay, do you believe that extending dti provisions into this will require additional rules to a process that is already a very long and convoluted process? >> i do not senator. >> okay part money talk to you

for just a second about drones because we are concerned about the chinese military industrial complex and dj ivory have you use dji drones at the l.a. metropolitan airport or the denver airport? >> no. >> you have not? thank you, mr. chairman, madam chairman and thank you mr. washington. >> thank you, senator sullivan. >> thank you madam chair. and mr. washington, thank you for being here. i know we can talk about safety, in your background. obviously given all the challenges and the focus everybody in the country once in terms of safety, i, like so many others have a deep respect for your service in the army.

it's really remarkable in terms of achievement. but, once you take the opportunity to address with senator bud was your resume doesn't reflect a deep well of ask and on aviation safety. i think it is a fair criticism. he said he could not have on-the-job training on something so important. so while you take a minute to address that very think is an important issue for the whole country. then i want to talk about alaska. >> thank you, senator. i think safety is more than just one individual. takes an organization can we build a safety culture within an organization? i have done that in every

organization i have been in. i will do that it faa. safety has been my number one priority in the united states army every transportation organization i've been in. i think the question at least in my mind is can i build that culture and rebuild that culture within the faa? based on everything i have done. based on how i have led men and women in this country and i think the answer is yes. >> okay, have you ever been to alaska? >> during the army? if yes, sir. >> you get a sense of, let me ask if you are confirmed i liked it your commitment to come to alaska very early in your tenure to see the unique challenges we have in my state, can i get you to commit to me on that? >> absolutely. >> good. let me give you a little bit of the dynamics in terms of

aviation. we have 586,000 square miles of land mass. sorry santa cruz. >> part of a personal privilege. [laughter] but over 2.4 million of aerospace. are you know the faa i'm going to focus on domestic issues the faa in alaska is the entity that takes every flight in america that's flying to asia make sure they're getting there safely. our faa guys men and women do amazing work, they are the best in everyone in america who has flown over from america to asia has had the faa of alaska in their guiding hands.

it is really important i just wanted to shout out to them. we are also a state less road miles than connecticut and we are 120 times bigger. over 250 community's and my state are not connected by roads, that is a whole another issue. they are connected by air or both if they are on a river. so let me go into a couple issues that relate to that. because we fly so much in 2020 the ntsb produced a report that in the most recent tenure. there's an accident rate for aviation alaska 2.35 times higher than in the rest of the country. so, this is a challenge of air. whether mountains, remote communities. it's also very much a challenge of a lack of aviation

infrastructure. i work for the last faa administrator to launch the faa alaska aviation safety initiative. can you commit to me if you are confirmed to continue the progress we have made? but we have a long way to go on the issue of alaska safety which as i mentioned we have the worst rates of accidents in the country by far. >> yes senator. it is the ethically look forward to working with you. >> one final question 5a weather reporting forecast, air to ground comms are needed for his floral committees better and safer access for the faa until i passed a law committee essentially mandating them do it, had not funded new automated

weather observances and locations in alaska that most airports in the lower 48 yet since the 1990s. again we are an afterthought. can i get your commitment if you are confirmed to work with me on significantly updating the basic aviation weather infrastructure that most states in the lower 48 take for granted we have to beg for it to make sure my constituents can fly safely the way everybody else does in this country. >> i commit to that senator. >> thank you, thank you madam chair pre- >> thank you, senator sullivan. i like to share your concerns about making sure the air transportation is the transportation system of alaska. i appreciate that. senator welch for. >> i think if i were you i would consider this hearing a success pretty just got an invitation to alaska i have never been there. you are up for senate

confirmation. [laughter] well i can always aspire. mr. washington, one of the things of your many responsibility would be the implementation of the department of transportation ambitious u.s. aviation climate action plan which has as a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the aviation sector by 2050. obviously electric aviation has to be a part of that conversation. can you comment on your commitment to that and how you would implement it? >> i am committed to that i'm committed to the administration's 2050 push for that. there are a number of ways that we can get started on that. not saying faa has not started on that. i think we can beat 2050 and i

would make that one of my priorities. the denver international airport we are doing just that bigger blogging abandon oil wells. we have a huge solar array larger than most airports. we are doing a number of sustainability problem. absolute commit to that. >> use the electric airplanes prior to that? we have abated technology. vermont is doing extremely wonderful work with ev aviation. >> i do. i see ev as a huge part of that. and i think we need to get started now on making sure the airports have the infrastructure that these vehicles can actually land. no one talks about the

facilities needed at the airport to make sure we can accommodate them. >> elaborate a little bit on that that is very good insight. we might have the vehicles but we might not be able to recharge them. yes i think there's a number of things involved with it. there is something called giga hubs that massive ev charging facilities that's being talked about right now. it's a matter fact we are ahead of the curve on that. denver international airport to install that, to install installation in conjunction with the rental car facility we want to build as well. >> thank you. small airports in vermont the biggest airport we have is a small airport, burlington. it is 100 times larger than any of the other airports but those are essential. we also have an airport that we

share in lebanon, new hampshire that serves both local vermont and local new hampshire. can you tell me how you're going to maintain or improve our confidence in the viability and sustainability of our small airports? quick so think of the smaller airports and midsize airports are very, very critical to again connecting rural communities. i think we can look at some of the same things were going at larger airports, maybe at a smaller scale. i think there are many ways we can take advantage of new technology and maybe even pilots and those at smaller airports. >> on budget said that about rural airports. the models the airlines are using really leave rural america on the side which i think is really bad.

what i'm hearing you say is you appreciate the absolute essential importance of the small airports to rural vermont but to rule america. >> yes sir. >> tell me what tools you would have to help us maintain service in our rural communities? >> i think there are various things like pilot training we can have it smaller airports. there are things like emergency medical operations that we can have it smaller airports to make them even more useful for the faa and the airlines. those are the kind of things i would look at to make it more viable. i understand they mentioned earlier the construction season we have to be concerned about when we put out a ip money and that sort of thing. but i think there's opportunities. >> thank you very much and i

yield back madam chair. >> thank you, thank you madam chair thank you for mr. washington for being here with us today. we have seen a number of troubling events that i'm sure this is been gone over in the commercial operations on one we saw on monday. i have obviously think everybody has certainly share the concerns over potential disaster here. if you think the work force policies contributing factor faa? would you commit to have them return our testimony from weeks ago so that's not occurring right now. >> i want to understand what the direction of the administration is around them. i do think the critical nature of faa we need folks there. folks are already there the safety critical positions and they have been there through the

pandemic. we need to not forget about them who have been there every airport in the country. i want just sent understand exactly the faa is on that i know want to look very closely i'm a traditionalist in that respect in terms of five days a week. >> thank you server. let me ask you this you meant the denver airport for two years now. how often do you go to the airport control tower to see what's going on? looks quite often senator. >> is that once a week? >> not once a week but quite often throughout the year. >> have you been in a rural air traffic control tower to see the differences? >> i have not senator. >> i would think in light of what the senator from vermont was talk about i'm from a small state as well the mountain state, challenging for aviation. these smaller towers are

exceedingly important to the overall safety of her air traveling public. let me ask you about for repair stations. there is an uptick in the utilization of foreign repair stations for airline maintenance. congress mandated the stations are supposed to have the same standards as our domestic repair facilities. obviously you would know how important that is. but in reality they are not. some have gone years without inspection. many do not even have drug or alcohol testing requirements. how you see the role of foreign repair stations and light with the faa? >> thank you for the question senator. it's very, very critical. you mentioned faa inspections being overdue. i would want to look at that time find out why that is so i

make sure we get up to date on those. it's very, very critical that we satisfied the mandate in that area. >> i think obviously i would wholeheartedly agree with that. even if that would mean hiring extra inspectors to fulfill that obligation. i think that is exceedingly important as well. >> there has been some of the pushback on your nomination you are well aware i think you address it in your statement is you are not a pilot for you have not had aviation experience. the last confirmed faa administrator had extensive pilot and airline experience. what is the one thing you would say to sort of knock that down as a requirement for the job? >> thank you senator. leadership i think is the top

attribute i would point to. i think if you can lead people, you could motivate your experts whether they are pilots, safety technicians. i think leadership is a key piece of not just faa but the key piece of everything we do including the united states senate. >> i'm sure a lot of the leadership skills you have were formulated in your long service in our military. i as an american and very grateful for your service thank you for that and thank you for being here with us today pray thank you. >> and sinema. >> thank you mr. washington for your years of public service including 24 years of service and the u.s. army. the aviation challenge demonstrate our nations aviation

system need steady leadership we've had leadership many important positions for too long. we do need a senate confirmed administrator birdwell's vitally important to have these positions filled in my role as senator i want to ensure we have the right people in these positions as you know the faa is a 24 billion-dollar budget, to oversee the most complex in the world. to work the infrastructure law passing faa reauthorization bill the next administer how the responsibility to see these are implemented effectively. mr. washington the first criteria i used provide is to determine whether or not they have the requisite experience to perform the goal for which they have been nominated. i recognize your significant expense of the u.s. army and your experience public transit agencies. you have comparatively less experience working in aviation

have become the sea of denver international airport in june of 2021. aviation experience is important for this position as you know the federal law lifting the requirements for the administer since the nominee must have experience in the field directly relates aviation. but you could describe to me or aviation experience have a provide to the background been effective faa administrator? >> thank you for the question senator. i put to a number things. the first thing a point to is my current role you mentioned it's 20 months or 24 months i think that is relevant understanding the massive airport that we have. that is one. i think all the things we have been talking about today, safety, understanding infrastructure delivery methods. understanding massive projects

because we are going to have to build more airports, more airport infrastructure as more people actually fly. i think about the decision-making we have to make. i think about the leadership piece. think about the airport perspective that i bring to the table i think about the understanding of government and how to lead folks. think about the convening ability that i have with the department of defense. all of these issues i think are relevant to the experience that is needed. >> thank you for this committee held a hearing last week to examine the assistant which explains technical issues in january, that disruption resulted in the first round stop of air travel since the september 11 attacks in turn

flights were canceled over 10,000 flights were delayed by that disrupted air travel for tens of thousands of travelers. course after to update in 2012 here we are 10 years later only have to do this one project per the faa told us these are expected to be completed until the year 2030. eighteen years after congress has directed these changes. this is one symptom of our slow progress on modernizing her air traffic control. we've spent lots of money but are not seen sufficient benefits of the system faa needs and minister to help improve her air traffic control and if confirmed to the road what approach would it take to address these concerns? >> thanks for the question senator. some of the challenges the faa has is the direct correlation to

small things impacting big things. the fact that the file was deleted leads directly to safety, a safety issue. my work in toderzingation organizations will help with that. speaking of modernization of ig systems. one of my assignments was a noncommissioned officer in charge of the information management systems for all of u.s. army europe. on so i think these small things that impact really big things are the things we are going to experience in the aviation field going forward. >> thank you chair cantwell. >> thank you, senator warnock are you ready? you just walked in when we give you a second period.

>> thank you so much madam chair. many of you have heard about the 4p's of georgia poultry, peanuts, pecans, and peaches. i like to add a fifth, planes. with respect to my colleagues from north carolina, and ohio and elsewhere i would like to state georgia is the nation's most important aviation states. george is home after all to the world's busiest airport in atlanta hartsfield the top export in aerospace products. which also happens to be the state's largest industry. we are proud of that in georgia it's an industry that's responsible for economic impact of over $57 billion. mr. washington, she of aviation industry is originally been

plagued with a series of high-profile disruptions and dangerous near misses including the no temp system outage. southwest quality meltdown that made christmas not so happy for a lot of folks. close calls on runways in new york, texas, california. each of these threaten the safety and economic viability of the aviation industry the success of which many georgians and americans rely on so heavily. if confirmed as faa administrator how will you ensure the smooth and safe operation of airlines across the country? >> think your question senator. running the third busiest not the first but the third busiest airport in the world i can tell you i am acutely aware of the disruptions. these are serious events. when this occurred during the

disruption i immediately called her after action reviews during this the disruption. and my whole career has evolved around safety. so i think we to speed up the redundancy issues. i think we need to look at the other redundancy issues from the other systems as well to make sure we do not have one point of failure for these very systems. i agree with what the interim called a safety stand down may be just a week ago. i think that is needed. this would obviously be one of my huge priorities. >> and tell me a little bit about the safety of course is very important. but the other issues to raise

our consumer protection and how you make customers whole with these kind of things occur. tell me about your thoughts around that and what will you do to improve consumer protections for air travelers making the experience more predictable, enjoyable to users of the aviation space, consumers don't feel they been taken for a ride they do not pay for. >> thank you for the question senator. that responsibility of course lies in the secretary's office. but i would work with him and the secretary's office to make sure consumer protections were covered. i spend every day at my airport in denver talking directly with travelers. i mentioned in my opening statement that as the disruption occurred during the holiday

card. people did not ask me did i have direct aviation experience they asked me where their luggage was. i will always be on the watch for consumer protection issues and work with the secretary's office on that. >> will bit of time i have remaining want to switch topics altogether introduce aviation emissions reduction opportunity act. on the sustainable skies act to establish and grant program a tax credit to support production adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. and other low emission aviation technology for this is important to reduce harmful air pollution and move our aviation industry toward a more environmentally friendly future. i'm glad critical provisions or both of my bills were included in the inflation reduction act. most important step the widespread adoption sustainable aviation fuels there still much more to be done.

if confirmed how he worked to reduce the emissions of the aviation sector along with the president's goal of net zero emissions by 2050? >> on me just say senator, could be huge game changer. we are on the front lines at denver international airport and other airports are doing really good things to our point to san francisco the ceo out there is doing great things. i would want to ramp up to administer the grants that are out there. consistent with the inflation reduction act. and i noticed the national defense authorization act which includes pilot programs is out there as well. coupled and partnered with dod agencies. i note some airports including seattle is moving towards that, we are too. we will see who gets there first

in terms of the pilot program approved by dod. >> thank you so much. look forward to work with faa administrator to promote and expand sustainable aviation fuels, thank you madam chair for. >> thank you very much i think we've heard from just about everybody we are going to hear from. cruz has a follow-up question. depending on time we got to get to a vote, or ask myself then we won't wrap it up. cruz frequent sinking madam chair mr. washington first round of questioning had a lot of discussions about your lack of discussions about your lack of experience with aviation safety. there is a nether concern that's front and center for this committee. you're the first nominee i can recall who is currently entangled in an ongoing public corruption investigation right now while your nomination is pending.

this investigation alleged pay to play contracting skin that resulted in l.a. metro giving a 30,000 dollars in no-bid contracts to politically connected charity called peace over violence or pov to run a sexual harassment hotline that is hardly ever used. whistleblower has alleged among other things that we are the l.a. metro ceo you push forward these questionable contracts in order to stay in the good graces of a powerful politician on the l.a. metro board. last december he told the "new york times" quote when i pursued the job in denver for the airport much thanks the credit of the denver city council they looked into all this and debunked it all so i would ask congress to do the same. mr. washington do you still want congress to look into these allegations? >> have nothing to hide senator. >> okay good we are looking into them. even they say the denver city council debunked it all the l.a. sheriff's office determined

these allegations had merit. in fact last september the sheriff's office executed a criminal search warrant at elliott metro headquarters based on these allegations. you were named in that search warrant not what once, not twice, but numerous times a search form authorizes a sheriff's office to seize e-mails and other communication between you and other individuals involved in the investigation. but that is not all. the search warrant also includes specific allegations that you personally engaged in misconduct. for example here on page 24 of the search warrant the warrant says a witness stated that quote although there's no legitimate reason for metro to outsource such a service to pov in a sole-source contract the contract was pushed forward by ceo philip washington in order to remain in good graces with supervisor she looked cool. as a reminder pov is a charity

that received a 30,000 dollars in a no-bid contract to run a hotline for l.a. metro that is hardly ever used. sheila is a powerful politician on l.a. metro's board was long time friends with the head of pov. california attorney general's office is now leading the investigation into this public corruption scheme. washington have you spoken with the attorney general's office about the investigation? parks know i have not senator. >> the committee staff did last week. we reached out to inquire the status of the investigation for the attorney general's office said there is an ongoing criminal investigation into this matter under staff that in particular you have a quote material involvement in the case. in the investigation is months

away from being completed. that's bad enough but more meds in the distaff the attorney general's office told us that at that time they were not aware anyone from the white house, the fbi or the senate had contacted them about the ongoing public investigation for you have material involvement. that is remarkable for anderson the charwoman has subsequently spoken with the california attorney general office. but at the time nobody had talked to them to the ag's office. that is remarkable it's more than a little troubling. i think it is fair to say california sheriff's, the l.a. sheriff and the california attorney general are not republicans they are not right wing republicans with an ax to grind. the fact this case is ongoing is truly remarkable this committee

is considering confirming a nominee in the middle of an ongoing investigation for public corruption. i am hard-pressed to think of anything more damaging to the faa the not only confirming someone who is not qualified, has no experience in aviation safety but secondly doing so while a public corruption cases ongoing, which according to the terms of the search warrant implicates you directly. if it so happened you ended up indicted as a result of this ongoing investigation, i do not know if that will happen or not the investigation needs to conclude, what sort of damage would it do to the faa to have the administrator indicted on public corruption? >> a couple of things senator byrd. >> please respond. >> thank you, thank you. that particular contract was initially before i arrived at metro.

there has been no findings of wrongdoing by me. i stand by the work that was done in this contract. conclusion the search warrant is wrong but says these are the allegations of the search warrant that philip washington pushed it forward for. >> that is wrong that is false. i never talked with anyone about that. this was done with a delegation of authority to my department heads. but the allegations are false. i talked to no one you mentioned former supervisor sheila i never talked about the contract for. >> the ag investigation is not concluded, is that correct? >> no one has talked to from the ag office. no one is going from the sheriff's office. no one is contact me about this case at all.

>> thank you. >> thank you. mr. washington one of things it keeps coming up in this discussion has been the southwest airlines outage. on the fact that literally thousands of people were stranded over several days without any idea of what was going to happen next, for me one of my constituents that was most prominent was the high school basketball coach and his wife the kids there down in vegas at a tournament literally for four days during christmas had to figure out what to do next. so every day it was a challenge. they thought they had a pretty good they actually went had a place and had the kids there and they celebrated christmas together. i turned out to be a bonding experience for them but several times don't back to the airport to find many other people just sleeping on the floor of the airport trying to figure out what was going to happen next. so in the hearing we had, one of

the things the southwest pilots brought up as they thought southwest lost operational control. that meant the operation of what was in airlines flight for the pilots were, where the pilots needed to be basically did not know. one of things the faa administrator if confirmed can take action against enforcement of the fact they did not have -- they had loss of control. what i'm interested in knowing i think everybody in this hearing you're getting adrift here that nobody wants an industry person who's too cozy with industry. people want a new day at the faa and they want the faa to make sure they are thinking about consumers, and as you mentioned several times, safety. so if confirmed would you make sure you take aggressive action

on making sure either fines or their certificate, things of that nature were looked at? in this case which i get southwest to own up to the fact that they need to fix the system so that it does not happen again. [inaudible conversations]

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