On 3/27/2023, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “can you discuss what happened with your FAA nominee and what you plan to do next? I mean, obviously, there have been some high-profile incidents, and people are concerned about the safety of our commercial aviation system. So what’s next?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: … Phil Washington had the right qualifications and experience for this role. A couple of things that you’ve heard me talk about and you’ve heard us talk about more broadly: He’s had — he’s led the Denver International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world; managed large — large safety-focused transportation agencies; and served as Command Sergeant Major in the military. This was a veteran of the military. He was a veteran.
And, you know, there were games that were played on — you know, an onslaught of unfounded Republican attacks on Mr. Washington, on his service, his experience, and which irresponsibly delayed the process … Senate Republicans’ month-long relentless campaign to sink the nomination of a qualified, again, military veteran. Our administration believes that his service in uniform is an asset. That should have been an asset. So, again, we respect Mr. Washington’s decision and are grateful for the time he dedicated to this process …
On 3/1/2023, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas argued that Mr. Washington was simply not qualified for the position. He cited the aviation backgrounds of previous F.A.A. leaders and peppered Mr. Washington with technical questions related to the Boeing 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
“I believe your record is woefully lacking,” Mr. Cruz told him, “and in fact, you have zero aviation safety experience.”
Cruz asked Washington specifically about what a device known as an “angle of attack” sensor does, how many are equipped on Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX jetliner, and whether he’d ever flown a plane or been an air traffic controller, among others. The sensor is one of the systems implicated in two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.
As part of the exchange, Cruz asked Washington what happens when a pilot gets two different readings from two different angle of attack sensors. Washington replied that “human reaction needs to take over.”
“Why did that not happen on the Lion Air and Ethiopian Air flights?” Cruz asked. “Senator, I’m not a pilot — I don’t know if I can answer that particular question,” Washington replied. Cruz shot back that Washington’s answer was part of the “fundamental problem” with his nomination.
Cruz capped off his questioning with a statement ripped straight from the culture wars, saying the flying public doesn’t care if pilots are “transgendered witches” and instead want someone who knows how to fly a plane.
https://facebook.com/HygoNewsUSA/videos/6000163836718809
Q: FAA nominee what next? A: Republican relentless qualified asset; Sen. Cruz questioned Phil Washington