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Whistleblower

Issue: Nominations

Senator Cantwell Delivers Opening Statement Before Committee Votes on Trump Nominees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation delivered the following opening statement at today’s Executive Session to consider several presidential nominees including: Stephen Carmel to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Laura DiBella to be a Federal Maritime Commissioner, Timothy Petty to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Michelle Schultz to be a member of the Surface Transportation Board, Ethan Klein to be Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Trent Morse to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority:

Senator Luján Sets the Record Straight on the Republican Government Shutdown and Trump Administration Dismantling of Independent Agencies

U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, set the record straight on the Republican government shutdown and questioned three nominees to key transportation boards about their statutory obligations to act independently. Sen. Luján led Democrats at today’s hearing on Trump transportation nominees John DeLeeuw to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Richard Kloster and Michelle Schultz to be Members of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). Ms. Shultz is a current STB member and is nominated for a second term.

Ranking Member Cantwell Opening Statement at Hearing for DOT and MWAA Nominees

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing on the nominations of Ryan McCormack to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Daniel Edwards to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs, and Trent Morse to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Cantwell Questions NTSB Nominee Over FAA Failure to Implement Safety Recommendations, Including ADS-B In Technology

During the nomination hearing of Michael Graham to serve on the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB), U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, continued her criticism of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety oversight, pointing to the agency’s failure to act on numerous warnings at Washington National Airport (DCA) and its long delays in implementing NTSB safety recommendations, including ADS-B In and Out technology.

Ranking Member Cantwell Opening Statement at Hearing for NTSB, OSTP, and Commerce Nominees

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing on the renomination of Michael Graham to serve as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the nominations of Dr. Ethan Klein to be Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and Joyce Meyer to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs.

Ranking Member Cantwell Delivers Opening Statement at Hearing for Three Department of Transportation Nominees

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing on three Department of Transportation (DOT) nominees: Gregory Zerzan, to be General Counsel of DOT; Michael Rutherford, to be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy; and Seval Oz, to be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Research and Technology.

Cantwell Will Oppose Bryan Bedford to Lead FAA

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, announced today she will oppose the nomination of Bryan Bedford to serve as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Cantwell Grills FAA Nominee on Key Aviation Safety Measures

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, grilled Trump’s nominee to serve as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Bryan Bedford, on his failure to commit not to weaken the 1,500-hour pilot training rule if confirmed. Bedford spearheaded the lobbying effort against the safety rule enacted after the tragic 2009 Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash that killed 49 people, and as CEO of Republic Airways, petitioned the FAA for an exemption from it. Sen. Cantwell also pressed Bedford to confirm his concerns that Republicans’ spectrum auction plan would threaten aviation safety.

Cantwell Leads Dems in Voting Unanimously Against Steven Bradbury for DOT Dep. Sec.

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the Senate vote on the nomination of Steven Bradbury, President Trump’s pick to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. All Democrats voted against his confirmation.