Deputy administrator in the obama administration. He stressed the importance of faa innovation. The chair of the house transportation and Infrastructure Committee spoke in support of the nomination at an earlier hearing. Good morning, everyone. The u. S. Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation took him to order. This morning we are here to consider the nomination of Michael Whitaker to be the administrator of the federal aviation administration. I want to thank mr. Whitaker for his willingness to serve. Im also grateful that the house chairman sam graves is here and we will hear from you soon. Chairman gray along with my colleague Ranking Member larsen have worked hard on a bipartisan bill to pass a longterm faa reauthorization so we thank you for that. Im hopeful we will be able to do the same. In a bipartisan fashion. And finalize the bill into law before the end of 2023. This is a reminder that the aviation safety and the job of running the faa are not partisan. They are ensuring strong leadership at the top of americas chief aviation regulator, and they should be our common goal. Mr. Whitaker is nomination has attracted broad support not only from across the aisle but from across the Aviation Community. He is supported by the aviation workforce, pilots, flight attendant, machinist and in years and enjoys a broad support from many and the private sector of aviation. This foundation of support will serve well because he faa administrator has a big job. Over 44,000 workers across lines of business from airports to air Traffic Control at the aviation safety. And each day they help keep americans moving safely. 25,000 u. S. Airline flights carrying 2. 5 million passengers across the country and around the world. Today, you will come before the committee with more than 30 years of a diverse expense in aviation including executive leadership in the private sector and three years serving as faa deputy administrator. He led the faas modernization of the National Airspace system known short and as nextgen, and hope he will be able to illuminate today the progress that weve made an important milestones that weve achieved, and what we need to do to get it finally implemented. Mr. Whitaker will bring a commitment to advancing aviation safety and appreciate his support by families who lost loved ones and have been very dedicated to improving aviation safety. But there are challenges that remain. Americas Aviation System is under stress demonstrated by the number of near misses and close calls when need here today on a planet how to tackle safety issues across our skies. The faa workforce testing and will continue to do so over the next several years and look forward to learning how he will be able to build a strong Safety Culture attracting talent and renew leadership at the faa. Unlike its workforce faa Safety Systems and technology was also be upgraded to 21st century innovations. And if confirmed he will have the opportunity to lead them mass modernization it in the next era in telling us exactly how to get that done. To be the world leader in aviation the United States must be a strong voice for safety at the International Civil aviation organization, icao. Youreo. Over 30 years experiene in aviation including executive roles on these Important International issues and we hope your leadership will help the World Community continue its safety focus. We need to learn how the faa will effectively raise the Global Safety bar on Pilot Training and human factors. The families of the 737 max tragedies were tragedies were critical in t helping Congress Passed important legislation the aircraft certification safety and accountability act. They support your nomination as i mentioned, and we expect an understanding this morning on how youre going to carry out the further implementation of these critical safety reforms. The American Public deserves a safe reliable effective aircraft transportation system. Our economy depends on it and if confirmed you have the opportunity that only to lead the faa that shape americas future of aviation along with nasa. These are challenging times but the Aviation Community and theve leadership across many spectrums have the ability to get this job done and get it done correctly. So i welcome and thank you for your willingness to serve, and take a leadership role in helping us. I now am going, way to my colleague who underwent two judiciaries ongoing to our colleague senator welch to make an Opening Statement and that i will turn to representative grant. Madam chair, he gave an excellent presentation of mr. Whitakers experience but you left out one very important fact. Hes my neighbor. List down the dirt road. You go down brachial and up over a little dense hill and take a left and there they are on the same dirt road right down the street in vermont. So its wonderful to have michael here, mary and joe. You outline hisc public experience, his private experience and i was going to do that but you done it so well i to add tok we need it. I do want to say couple of things. With this excellent experience he has first as a pilot, lifelong pilot. And with that a constant concern about safety because hes had sd people he loves in his own plane. With his experience at the faa where you have this huge, Important Agency and he has a responsibility to make it work in the implementation of very Important Program that you mention. And then with hisis experience d the private sector, with United Airlines and the very responsible big jumps he had there, how you have more experience . In every phase of whats required to have our Flight Systems be safe, to have performance solid, and to have the managerial experience to kind of create the team and the culture thats necessary for a well functioning faa cuts sometg that he and i spoke about at a store where if you dont have it you dont need, thats the norwich Famous Country store. That broad depth of experience in that decision, and this is what i also really appreciate, at a time in his life when he was doing fine, lives in a nice place brachial, if you dont want to come see it, its a nice place. He wanted to serve. It is so neat in that country of people with the benefit of a lifelong career in the public and private sector deciding you know what, i want to serve. So that gives me just immense confidence that were going to have the tremendous director, and i yield back. Thank you, senator welch. Thank you for aan very personal view of the nominee and good to know that, that road might come in handy sometime. [laughing] message delivery. Representative graves, welcome before the committee. Thank you so much. Unless senator moran, did you want as the subcommittee chair make a statement . [inaudible] thank you. Representative graves, thank you so much for being here. Of course. Thank you, madam chair, and members of the committee. Theres a lot of familiar faces on this committee, and i like that. He also very much appreciate the opportunity, it is an honor to be a today to support Michael Whitaker for administrator to federal aviation administration. And this is a crucial time for aviation and forhe the faa. Steadfast leadership at the faa is paramount if we as a nation are t to remain the global leadr in aviation safety and innovation. I go i know this committee and nominee equivocally support. Its been a year and have since previous administrator Steve Dickson step down. If you think about it, safety is dependent on consistency and, unfortunately, the only thing that hashe been consistent at te agency since the former administrator departed is a growing list of acting positions across agency. 18 months withoutut faa administrator is troubling. The American People deserve aas confirmed later was a deep knowledge in and a passion for that matter for aviation. Because of that im honored and pleased to introduce Michael Whitaker, a very qualified nominee, that is been put forward for your consideration. Mr. Whitakers, the chief poverty officer for an advance and will bring the company which is in aviation sector that is propelling american aviation to new heights and demands both regulatory stability and innovation. Having previously served as faa deputy administrator mr. Whitaker understands what it takes to helm the agencies that hes been nominated to lead and he is also served many years obviously in the travel and airline industries. And as a professional pilot myself i appreciate the fact that he, too, is a g a pilot. I spoken to him on many occasions visited within about the need to pass on that passion to the next generation of Young Americans and be an advocate for aviation overall. The bottom line is that having mr. Whitaker confirmed as faa administrator will help provide muchneeded certainty for the faa and the Aviation Industry, which is pivotal right now in this moment in history. In addition to confirmation of it faa nominee i would be remiss if i didnt point out that enacting a longterm faa reauthorization bill will bring muchneeded certainty to the Aviation Industry. The bipartisan bill that passed out of the house in july by vote of 35169 is a fiveyear bill. While your Committee Works towards bill. While your Committee Works towards passage of companion legislation, our shared commitment to enactment of a longterm faa bill guarantees the next administrator will be charged with committing the final product of our work. This as enormous consequence to the nomination responsibility of mr. Whitaker if he if confirmed. I want to be clear, i fully expect that if mr. Whitakers confirmed as administrator that we will not agree on everything. However, i i do believe that we will have a very strong working relationship just as ive had with his predecessors. And like his predecessors for both s Democrat Administration d republican administrations i want to see him be successful in the role because that is what is in the best interest of the american Aviation Industry and in the best interest of the American People. I fought hard against the previous nominee whose lack of relevant experience was greatly concerning, and its also why im here today supporting mr. Whitaker because i believe he is the right person for this job. As the chairman of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee in the house my job is to hold the administration of any administrator of the faa accountable for the actions to conductt rigorous oversight and to ensure that they are following the legislative intent of any piece of legislation that congress passes. And rest assured i will do just that. But i also want to express my support for this committee is consideration today of a nominee who has extensive qualifications in the Aviation Fuel and was recently with the faa. Its important with itsts intricacies and with its shortcomings. I believe mr. Whitaker has a level of experience in the position of faa administrator demands and prepared to deliver the strong leadership that is needed for the faa today more than ever before. I want to thank you for your time and help the committee favorably approves mr. Whitakers nomination and ask us with the on finalizing an faa realization. So thank you very much and i yield back. Thank you, representative graves and you can look forward to working with you in a bipartisan fashion to get this over the goal line legislatively by the end of the year, so thank you for that. Senator cruz. Thank you, madam chair. I want to welcome my good friend sam graves and glad to see you slumming on the other side of the caliper welcome. I hope weve been hospitable and maybemo give you a decent cup of coffee this morning. You dont have to answer that. Good morning, welcome everyone. Mr. Whitaker, welcome. A san antonio native, something im always glad to see. Every day some 3 million passengers or commercial flights in and out of u. S. Airports. With the confidence that they will safely arrive atna their destinations. The public trust is the result of a nearly a decade collaboration between the Aviation Industry and the federal aviation administration. The faa manages 29 million square miles of airspace. It ensures that aircraft and pilots meet the highest Safety Standards, and it is the faa that will ensure the safe integration of drones, your taxes, and one day commercial spaceflight. Air taxis. When it comes to safety, the buck stops with the faa. We are here today to consider the nomination of Michael Whitaker for the faa administrator. This is a crucially important role. The next administrator will face serious challenges in rebuilding the faa after unfortunately 18 months without a Senate Confirmed leader. Among those challenges, staffing critical air Traffic Control facilities, modernizing and the quitter air traffic systems, and bringing faa employees back in person after three years of telework. Mr. Whitaker is President Bidens second nominee to the faa administrator. The first was rejected by both republicans and democrats on this committee for his lack of relevant experience. I am glad that the administration has heeded my advice and nominate a person with significant experience in aviation, mr. Whitaker. Mr. Whitaker present served as a secondincommand at the faa and has roughly three decades of aviation experience. As ive said since we received this to whitaker nomination, i am willing to keep an open mind and give them for consideration on the merits. I want to hear how hes going to address the challenges facing the faa and the Aviation Industry, should he be confirmed. I also want to ensure that political focus on faas primary responsibility, ensuring the safety of our National Airspace system. While having the fortitude and clarity of mind to question assumptions and to push back against special interests. Congress gives the administrator a fiveyear term because the faa is not a political organization. Is not intended to be a political organization. And we must keep politics out of the faa. Today mr. Whitaker has an opportunity to explain to members of this committee his vision for a stagnant agency, one that ise in desperate needf strong independent leadership willing to challenge the status quo. Mr. Whitaker cry look forward to hearing why you believe you are that independent leader and how you will meet the serious challenges faced by the faa and the Aviation Industry. Thank you. Thank you, senator cruz. Again, representative graves thank you for being here. Mr. Whitaker, if you would come up and take an opportunity to introduce anybody youd like to introduce this morning before you give your Opening Statement. Thank you chair cantwell, Ranking Member crew is come in was of the committee. Its an honor to appear before you today is President Bidens nominee for the ministry of the faa. Im grateful for this bipartisan introduction and support from a follow for monitor neighbor, senator welch and also from house to petition chairman sam graves who is been very supportive throughout this process and i thank you both. I would not get it if it wasnt for the love and support of my family especially my wife mary who is he with me today who has been patient and amazingly supportive throughout this process which you with our son joe and our daughter jordan was watching from vermont. To begin i would like to acknowledge secretary buttigieg and deputy secretary trenton for it for the Exceptional Leadership that shown in showing the faa womens focus on this Critical Mission to provide the safest and most efficient airspace system in the world. Throughout my career i have believed in this mission not only during my previous tenure at the faa but as an Airline Executive and t now as a focus n emerging technologies in our airspace. It can from i apply like 32 years of aviation experience to lead the 44,000 dedicated professionals at the faa the work inat every u. S. State and territory and across the globe to meet this mission. I begin my aviation career as an worldey for Trans Airlines and then rose through the ranks of United Airlines from senior counsel and rated to regroup to Senior Vice President of Alliances International and regulatory affairs. More recently i i work with emerging aviation technologies such a a small Unmanned Systems and electric impulsion. However, the key f explains that qualify me for this position and that will allow me to make an Immediate Impact at the faa is my three year tenure there as deputy administrator. During this time i g