June 03, 2025

Duckworth Meets with FAA Administrator Nominee Bryan Bedford

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Aviation Safety Subcommittee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Federal Aviation Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford to discuss how he plans to address the aviation safety crisis if confirmed. During their meeting, Duckworth reiterated her strong opposition toward any further reduction in force at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and toward any effort to weaken the 1,500-hour rule and jeopardize the safety of the flying public in the wake of the deadly DCA midair collision and the spike in close calls across the country, among other things.

“In the wake of the deadly DCA crash, surge in near misses and air traffic controller shortage, our nation needs a strong leader at FAA who will reject complacency and work vigorously to address this dire aviation safety crisis and protect the flying public,” said Duckworth. “I made clear to Mr. Bedford how critical it is for the next FAA Administrator to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, as well as how mass staff reductions at FAA would be detrimental to the agency’s ability to improve aviation safety and risk mitigation. I also stressed the urgent need for FAA to take not only immediate, but also long-term action to modernize our air traffic control systems—something I’ve been sounding the alarm on for years—and discussed with Mr. Bedford the importance of FAA continuing enhanced oversight over Boeing. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Bedford at his confirmation hearing.”

For years—long before the deadly DCA crash—Duckworth has been sounding the alarm that we must make critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Last Congress, Duckworth chaired two CST Aviation Subcommittee hearings—one last December and the other a year prior—to address our aviation industry’s chilling surge in near-deadly close calls and underscore the urgent need to improve air traffic control systems to protect the flying public.

As our nation continues to experience an air traffic controller shortage amid multiple near-misses, midair collisions and communication outages, Duckworth has underscored how critical it is that the FAA does not sacrifice effectiveness in favor of efficiency by lowering its longstanding high standards that new controllers must meet. Two weeks after the horrific DCA aircraft collision that killed 67 passengers and crew, the Trump Administration began firing hundreds of FAA employees. In April, Duckworth sent a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Rocheleau on the reasoning behind these cuts to the workforce.

Last year, Duckworth helped author the landmark bipartisan FAA reauthorization that was signed into law to extend the FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities.

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