USCTA Alert
Senate Commerce Committee Members Question Steven Bradbury
February 20, 2025
Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) described Bradbury as a “smart regulator” and said he is “exceptionally well-qualified” for the position. However, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) grilled Bradbury for DOT’s actions to halt the Safety Management System rulemaking in the aftermath of the 737 Max accidents during the first Trump administration.
Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) asked the nominee about whether the administration intends to withdraw Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants that have already been announced. Bradbury said it is entirely fair for the administration to review how that money is being spent and to use any discretion that it may have in the process. But he argued that approach is different than the “executive branch overriding the role of Congress….”
Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) voiced their strong support for the Essential Air Service program – an issue that committee members raised during Sean Duffy’s nomination hearing. Bradbury reminded lawmakers about Duffy's support for EAS and said that he doesn’t expect to push any proposal to sunset or eliminate the program.
Lawmakers also asked Bradbury about proposals to privatize the Air Traffic Control system – a controversial topic that helped derail a previous FAA reauthorization bill. Bradbury described the Canadian model and suggested that are some good arguments for it. But he said the first Trump administration tried to advance the concept and now it’s up to Congress to decide.
In related news, Chairman Cruz argued for overhauling the ATC system when he spoke to the Washington Aeroclub today. Cruz didn’t specially call for ATC privatization, but he argued that the status quo where air traffic controllers rely on paper strips and floppy discs is not acceptable. He called on aviation stakeholders to work together to modernize what he described as a “broken system.”
