U.S. Senate ‘Examining’ FAA Nominee Whitaker’s Qualifications

WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans are continuing to evaluate Michael Whitaker, President Biden’s nominee for administrator of the FAA.

“I can tell you where we are right now, which is we’re assessing his background,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said at the RAA Leaders conference in Washington on Sept. 27. “We’re in the process of examining his record, examining his time at the FAA, examining his time in the aviation industry, and sitting down and talking to him.”

Whitaker, a private pilot and former United Airlines executive, previously served as FAA deputy administrator from 2013-16 and is currently VP and COO of electric advanced air mobility vehicle developer Supernal. The prior nominee, Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington, withdrew his name from consideration in March after opposition in the Senate. Cruz had opposed the nomination, telling conference attendees he believed the former candidate “simply wasn’t prepared to do the job and didn’t have the experience to do the job.”

While the current nominee “certainly appears to have significantly more aviation experience than Phil Washington did,” Cruz said at RAA, he expressed hope that a new administrator could be confirmed without further lengthy delays.

“I expect and hope that we’ll move expeditiously to confirm him, or another qualified nominee,” Cruz said. “I think it’s important to get a qualified administrator in there, and I think it is unfortunate that we’ve had as much delay as we’ve had.”

Whitaker has received vocal support from a cross-section of the aviation industry. A Sept. 13 letter from more than 20 organizations representing manufacturers, suppliers, labor, general aviation, airports and others urged Cruz and other Senate leaders to expedite Whitaker’s confirmation process and move on to getting a new FAA funding bill done. 

Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), said a series of conversations with Whitaker and administration officials has convinced his group that the nominee is a strong choice.

“[It’s about] making sure that the next administrator is focused on safety, not someone that’s more aligned with special interests or industry,” Ambrosi said at the recent ALPA Safety Forum. “We’re now comfortable with the fact that Mr. Whitaker would be a good choice for FAA.”

Whitaker was nominated by Biden on Sept. 7. With just days to go before a Sept. 30 deadline, a U.S. federal government shut down appears likely, which could further delay confirmation of an administrator and have far-reaching impacts on the industry as a whole.

“We’ve got two or three more days,” U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said at the conference on Sept. 27. “I suspect we’re going to see a shutdown ... it doesn’t look good.”