Sen. Schumer Vows to ‘Clear the Runway’ for Biden’s FAA Pick After Computer Glitch Snarls Air Travel

After a glitch in an FAA computer system grounded hundreds of flights at New York City airports last week, Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday called on his Republican counterparts to stop dragging their feet and approve President Biden’s pick to head the aviation agency.

“There is no doubt about it: it’s time to clear the runway for President Biden’s choice for FAA Administrator, Phil Washington,” Schumer said. “Republicans have worked to stall this nominee in the Senate, but with recent events that include airline troubles and last week’s tech problem, this agency needs a leader confirmed by the Senate. I intend to break this logjam, work to hold a hearing for Mr. Washington, where he can detail his experience and answer questions and then work towards a speedy Senate confirmation.”

The president tapped Phillip Washington, 64, the chief executive of the Denver airport, in July last year, but he never got a hearing before the upper chamber and now his nomination appears to be grounded.

Before heading up the Rocky Mountain State airport, Washington was an executive at the Los Angeles MTA.

The Denver airport is the third busiest in the country, but other than that Washington, who spent 24 years in the Army, has no aviation experience — a sticking point for Republicans.

“While I am pleased that the White House finally has prioritized this vacancy and submitted a nominee for Senate vetting, I am skeptical because of the nominee’s lack of experience in aviation,” Sen. Roger Wicker, (R-Mass) said at the time of Washington’s nomination. “This position requires extensive knowledge of the industry in order to ensure the safety and efficiency of the agency and American air travel.”

The FAA has been leaderless since March of 2022 when Trump administration head Stephen Dickson, a former Air Force pilot and executive with Delta Air Lines stepped down three years into his five-year term.

“The GOP needs to stop stalling,” Schumer said Sunday. “I think he’s a very good nominee,” the senator added. “At the hearing, anyone can ask any questions they want. But we have to have the hearing and they delayed the hearing.”

Besides his lack of experience, Republicans have slowed the nomination due to a public corruption investigation in Los Angeles that has implicated Washington.

In a search warrant served last fall, a whistleblower accuses the nominee of pushing through a public contract for a non-profit run by county supervisor Sheila Kuehl. He was also said to have ordered a $75,000 payment to the same non-profit using a process normally used for buying office supplies.

Schumer brushed aside the reservations of his GOP counterparts, saying “Let’s have the hearing. I don’t think they amount to anything.”

Wicker promised to make the issue central to the committee hearing.

“The committee’s vetting process will require additional scrutiny and review into his leadership at LA Metro. I anticipate that this nominee’s credibility will also be a key focus of the committee,” the Republican senator said.

Aside from questions about Washington’s ethics and his experience, the aviation agency has suffered a series of safety and travel issues over the past week.

Last Wednesday, air travel at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK came to a screeching halt after the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, system crashed. The system was designed to give pilots an early warning about runway conditions or other issues they may encounter at airports.

For three hours while the system was down, air traffic controllers tried to give pilots alerts over the phone, but as air traffic picked up, they became overwhelmed and the aviation agency ordered a halt to all take-offs. More than 1,000 flights were canceled and 8,500 more were delayed before the system was brought back online.

The computer bug wasn’t the only recent problem.

On Friday, a jet departing JFK had to abort its takeoff after a Boeing 737 crossed its path on the runway.

Schumer said that getting the nomination through the Senate was crucial to ensure safe air travel.

“We’re going to clear that administrator so he can do his job,” he said. “Safety has to be No. 1. People won’t travel if they don’t think flying is safe.”

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