Ranking Members Larsen, Carson Statements from Hearing with FAA Administrator Bedford

Washington, D.C.-The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation André Carson (D-IN) during today's hearing titled, "The State of American Aviation."

Find videos of Ranking Member Larsen's and Carson's opening statements here and here.

More information on the hearing can be found here.

Ranking Member Larsen:
Thank you, Chairman Nehls, for calling today's hearing on the "State of American Aviation."

Administrator Bedford, thank you for joining us today. We have plenty to discuss, and I look forward to your testimony.

Next month will mark the one-year anniversary of the DCA mid-air collision, where a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 near Washington National Airport (DCA), tragically claiming the lives of all 67 people on board both aircraft.

It was the first mass-casualty commercial plane crash in the U.S. in nearly 16 years and marked the end of one of the longest streaks without such an accident in U.S. history.

This accident is a stark reminder of the vigilance needed in our pursuit of aviation safety. More can always be done to make air travel safer.

In the case of the DCA mid-air collision, we owe it to the victims, their families and the flying public to leave no stone unturned and to learn every lesson we can.

I want to thank the friends and family of the victims here today, including Laura Augendre, Amy Hunter and their family.

Your presence keeps your loved ones' memories alive, and your advocacy reminds us to stay focused on the endless pursuit to improve aviation safety.

In response to the accident, the DOT and FAA took several actions to address pressing issues, including:

1. Swiftly banning most non-essential helicopter operations near DCA;
2. Reviewing 21 U.S. airports to identify risk factors and safety issues similar to those at DCA; and
3. Requiring federal agencies that conduct aircraft operations near DCA to broadcast their position using ADS-B Out.

Hard questions yet remain and still have yet to be asked.

I look forward to hearing how FAA is developing new policies, bolstering safety redundancies, preparing for the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) final report and recommendations and evaluating any systemic issues beyond the purview of the NTSB investigation.

I am committed to this effort and working with Chairman Graves, Chairman Nehls and Ranking Member Carson to fully address the NTSB recommendations and hold the FAA accountable to the recommendations.

The aftermath of the accident also put a spotlight on our aging air traffic control (ATC) system.

Modernizing the nation's ATC system is long overdue.

Last year, the GAO found that of FAA's 138 systems, 105 are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable.

That's why T&I Members from both sides of the aisle supported the $12.5 billion investment in ATC modernization and understand that additional funding will likely be needed.

But before any additional investment, the FAA must 'show its work' and be more transparent about how it's spending this investment.

Although the FAA selected a Prime Integrator, Peraton, to oversee its modernization efforts, there are still several questions about next steps.

As the Administration moves forward, Congress has to ensure this modernization initiative is data driven, transparent and safety-focused.

Unfortunately, this year, the NAS has been pushed to unprecedented limits.

Employment at the FAA and DOT decreased due to buyouts and pushed safety-critical employees to depart the agency, subsequently increasing the strain on the personnel left behind and the airspace as a whole.

These actions also resulted in an extraordinary loss of institutional knowledge and technical expertise from the agency, making it harder for the FAA to meet its safety mission.

During the recent government shutdown thousands of air traffic controllers and critical aviation safety workers were forced to work long stressful hours without pay for several weeks, with many worrying about getting a second job to feed their families while protecting travelers.

Not only did the shutdown create daily operational disruptions, but it also caused long-term stress and uncertainty for the hardworking women and men of the U.S. aviation workforce.

The stress of the shutdown was further exacerbated by the unprecedented safety decision to quickly reduce airline flight capacity by up to 10 percent at 40 high traffic airports across the country.

While I agree that aviation safety risks in the NAS had to be addressed immediately, it has become apparent that the administration made this decision without adequate coordination with key aviation stakeholders.

Consequently, airlines, general aviation and other stakeholders had to make massive changes to their operations with little to no notice, increasing other risks in the NAS.

The unprecedented nature of the administration's decision to suddenly and drastically limit air traffic demands congressional review.

That's why I, along with several of my Democratic colleagues on this Committee, sent you a letter last month requesting additional information regarding the data used by the agency to reduce flight capacity and return such flight capacity to normal.

Administrator Bedford, you transmitted a response letter late last night. I expect you to shed some light on that decision today and respond to any follow-up questions we have in a Member briefing by next month.

The appointment of a new administrator gives the FAA a chance to provide long-term stability at a time when it's needed most.

While the challenges before you haven't been and won't be easy, this Committee shares the FAA's goal of meeting these safety challenges head on.

Administrator Bedford, thank you for joining us today. I look forward to hearing from you.

Ranking Member Carson:
Good Morning. Chairman Nehls, Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen, it's an honor to be here for our first oversight hearing this year in which we actually get to hear from the FAA. And it's also a pleasure to welcome our witness, a fellow Hoosier, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, for his first visit to the Aviation Subcommittee.

I'd also like to recognize the families of those that perished in the DCA mid-air collision, who are joining us today. We recognize how difficult it is for you to be here in the face of such unimaginable loss, and I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for your advocacy-and the strength and conviction that mission takes.

For the Aviation Subcommittee, safety is our top priority. This is why we worked so hard to pass the bipartisan 2024 FAA Reauthorization. We collaborated across party lines to strengthen and expand the aviation workforce, to make our national air space safer, and to modernize our navigation and air traffic control systems to maximize safety and efficiency.

Even prior to this Administration, the FAA had a mandate-from Congress-to implement our 2024 FAA Reauthorization law and further invest resources and efforts into aviation safety, airport infrastructure, the aviation workforce, sustainability and consumers protections. These directives from Congress were and are not optional. We passed the laws and directed the FAA and the Department of Transportation to implement those laws as they were agreed to by this institution. All of them, not just the ones you might like.

As for recent events, in recognition of aviation safety's importance, I was proud to work with my colleagues on this committee to introduce the bipartisan Aviation Funding Solvency Act in response to the longest government shutdown in US history. If passed, it would pay FAA staff and keep operations running safely during government shutdowns. Mr. Administrator, I hope you will support our efforts to pass this bill as soon as possible. This is vitally important because the current Continuing Resolution expires next month, and we and our aviation workforce should not have to endure further stressors on the national airspace system (NAS) that decrease and increase flight interruptions.

Today is the first oversight hearing with an FAA witness that we've held this year. Mr. Administrator, we've written you quite a few oversight letters, but we haven't received much of the information that we've requested. So, we have a long list of issues we'd like to get updates on:

• The FAA's ongoing response to the numerous crashes this year, including the tragic mid-air collision at DCA and the UPS crash in Louisville;
• The rationale used to restrict and reduce flights at the 40 largest airports in the country during the recent shutdown, including the Indianapolis International Airport, which was rated the best in North America for 12 straight years;
• The alarming loss of technical expertise at FAA due to various administrative actions, including the mass firings and forced buyouts that have hollowed out the Agency's ranks;
• The need for much more transparency about the FAA's contracts with clear conflicts of interest;
• Workplace safety issues for flight crews-like toxic fumes on planes, and proposals to reduce the crew sizes on wide-body aircraft, thus leaving some doors uncrewed in the event of evacuations and emergencies;
• And finally, the foot-dragging and slow implementation of the secondary cockpit barriers mandate to protect the flight deck, crew and passengers. I first authored the provisions requiring these safety devices in the 2018 FAA law, and we are still too far away from full implementation.

There are many other issues and provisions of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization law that we want updates to today. We may send you some of our questions in writing, in the interest of time. But I hope that after today's first visit to our committee, you won't be a stranger, and you will stay in touch with us so we can work together to help American aviation safety and innovation to be a beacon around the world. I look forward to your testimony this morning, and I yield back.