▶ 0:23:50The subcommittee on aviation will come to order. I ask unan consent that the chairman be authorized to declare recess at any time during today's hearing without objection so ordered. I also ask unan consent that the members not on the subcommittee be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at today's hearing and ask questions without objection so ordered. As a reminder, if members wish to insert a document into the record, please also email it to documents timail.house.gov.
▶ 0:24:19I recognize myself for the purpose of an opening statement. I'd like to start by thanking Administrator Bedford for being here today in his first congressional hearing since becoming administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fatal accident that occurred right here in Washington DC on January 29th of this year that needlessly claimed the lives of 67 souls. and to the families with us here.
▶ 0:24:48To the families with us here today, my commitment to you remains steadfast. And I can assure you that this subcommittee will continue to do everything in its capacity to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again. That tragedy reinvigorated everyone in the aviation industry to come together to identify and address the deficiencies, the lack of communication and coordination and neglect that played a role in this tragedy.
▶ 0:25:16While I eagerly await the results of the NTSB final report before taking any substantive le legislative action, I am encouraged that there was immediate corrective action taken to make permanent route changes and helicopter restrictions near DCA, adjustments to air traffic control staffing and arrival flow at DCA, and ADSB out requirements for most aircraft near DCA's class Bravo airspace, to name a few.
▶ 0:25:46In times like those, we are served with a stark reminder that aviation safety is a journey rather than a destination. Following that tragedy, the entire aviation industry coalesed around the one phrase air traffic control modernization. So what is the state of American aviation? From my vantage point, the state of American aviation, it's busy. But busy is not a bad thing. In this instance, it's a good thing.
▶ 0:26:14With the promise of innovation and modernization around the corner, there is tremendous excitement around the state of American aviation. From initiatives to increase the appro of air traffic controllers into the workforce to key rulemakings that will unleash American innovation, the Trump administration has been busy. While they have a challenging task ahead of them, they have the support from this subcommittee.
▶ 0:26:40Administrator Bedford, I believe that you are the man for the This task is unprecedented, but you have two documents that ought to serve as a roadmap. The first is a bipartisan FAA reauthorization act of 2024 that cons contain numerous provisions directing the administration to phase out legacy systems in use across the NAS and operationalize key programs developed under the nextG initiative.
▶ 0:27:10The second is the administration's air traffic control modernization plan for which Congress appropriated $ 122.5 billion to carry out radar replacement and to up and a total update of the FAA's telecommunications infrastructure. [snorts] Administrator Bedford, this subcommittee will be conducting oversight, as we should, of the 12.5 billion to ensure that we avoid the absolute disaster that was nextgen. The stakes are too high.
▶ 0:27:40We simply cannot afford to get this wrong. We got to get it right. We owe it to the American people and to every single American Airlines 5342 family. We owe it to you. With that, Administrator Bedford, thank you for being here today. I look forward to hearing from you on the state of American aviation. I now recognize Ranking Member Carson for an opening
▶ 0:28:04Thank you, Chairman Nails. Um, thank you, Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larson. It is a tremendous honor to be here for our first FAA oversight hearing this year in which we actually get to hear from the FAA itself. It is also a pleasure to welcome our witness uh also a hooer uh administrator Bedford for his first visit to the subcommittee.
▶ 0:28:26also would like to recommend in the spirit of the chairman um the families of those who have perished in the DCA midair collision who are joining us today. We recognize how difficult it is for you to be here in the face of such an unimaginable loss. And we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for you and the strength and conviction of your advocacy to me help make sure other families don't experience such a devastating loss.
▶ 0:28:55For the subcommittee, safety of course is our top priority. This is why we worked so hard to pass a bipartisan 2024 FAA reauthorization. We collaborated across party lines to strengthen and expand the aviation workforce to make our national airspace safer and to modernize our navigation and air traffic control systems to maximize safety and efficiency.
▶ 0:29:19Even prior to this administration, the FAA had a mandate from Congress to implement our 2024 FAA reauthorization law by investing resources and concentrated work into aviation safety, airport infrastructure, the aviation workforce, sustainability, and consumer protections. We passed the laws, directed the FAA and the Department of Justice to implement these laws, all of them, not just the ones people like.
▶ 0:29:48As for recent events in recognition of aviation safety importance, I was proud to work with my colleagues on this committee to introduce the bipartisan aviation funding solveny act in response to the longest government shutdown in history. If passed, it would pay FAA staff and keep operations running safely during the government shutdowns. Mr.
▶ 0:30:11Administrator, I hope you will support our efforts to pass this bill as soon as 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 systems NAS that decrease and increase flight interruptions. Today is the first hearing with an FA witness that we've held this year. Mr.
▶ 0:30:38Administrator, you've written a few oversight letters, but we haven't received much of the information that we've requested, sir. So, we have a long list of issues we'd like to get updates on. The FAA's ongoing response to numerous crashes this year, including the tragic mineral collision at DCA and the UPS crash in Louisville.
▶ 0:31:00the rationale used to restrict and reduce flights at the 40th largest airports in the country during the recent shutdown, including our very own, the Indianapolis International Airport, which was rated the best in North America for 12 years straight.
▶ 0:31:16uh 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 more transparency about the FAA's contracts with clear conflicts of interest, workplace safety issues for flight crews, and finally the implementation of secondary cockpit barriers mandate to protect the flight deck.
▶ 0:31:42There are other issues and provisions, but I hope that after today's first visit to our committee, you won't be a stranger, sir. Thank you, chairman. I yield back.
▶ 0:31:51Gentleman yields. I now recognize our leader, the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Grace, for an opening
▶ 0:31:57Thank you, Chairman Nells, and thank you, administrator, for being here. Um, it's always always good to see you. So, it's been an eventful year uh in aviation and it started with um tragedy and our thoughts remain with the loved ones uh of those in the DCA um midair collision that occurred January 29th last year. This year, the state of our nation's air traffic control system has been thrust um into the spotlight, but it's not a new debate.
▶ 0:32:25Our ATC system is outdated and unsustainable and it has to be modernized for the benefit of safety of all users of the national airspace system. And I'm pleased that Congress passed and President Trump signed the budget reconciliation bill into law enacting a historic investment in our nation's aviation infrastructure totaling 12.5 billion dollars for air traffic control modernization.
▶ 0:32:48This funding allowed the Federal Aviation Administration to immediately get to work to replace critical telecommunications, infrastructure, and radar systems, invest in runway safety and airport surveillance projects, and replace antiquated air traffic control facilities. I look forward to continuing to work with Administrator Bedford and Secretary Duffy and President Trump as we move forward on ATC modernization. Furthermore, I'm proud that this committee worked in a very bipartisan fashion to pass FA reauthorization in 2024.
▶ 0:33:19This bipartisan law addressed workforce challenges, increased funding for airports across the country, and made improvements to the passenger experience, and included the very first ever general aviation title. And I'm pleased that the FAA finalized the modernization of the special airworthiness certificate rule, which expanded the freedom to fly for every American. This is something that I pushed hard for and required the FAA uh to do in last year's FAA reauthorization for air traffic controllers.
▶ 0:33:49The FAA has exceeded the goals set by Congress, hiring 2,26 new controllers in 2025. The FAA has planned to hire 8,900 controllers by 2008. and I remain committed to ensuring that the FAA and the Department of Transportation Transportation work towards full implementation uh of the law and carry out um what Congress intended.
▶ 0:34:13And with that, Chairman Mills, um thank you and I look forward to hearing administrator's testimony that I yield back. Chairman yields. I now recognize ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Larson.
▶ 0:34:23Thank you, Chair Nells. Uh and thanks for calling today's hearing on the state of American aviation and administrator Bedford. Thanks for joining us today. We got plenty to discuss and I look forward to your testimony. Chair Nells, I just want to give you a heads up. My I might be pushing the five minute limit on this one. So just thank you for your grace, sir. Next month will mark the one-year anniversary of the DCA midair collision where a US Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with American Airlines flight 5342 near DCA.
▶ 0:34:53It was the first mass casualty commercial plane crash in the US in nearly 16 years and marked the end of one of the longest streaks without such an incident in US history. This accident is a stark reminder of the vigilance we need in pursuit of aviation safety. More can always be done to make air travel safe uh safer. In the case of the DCA midair collision, we owe it to victims, to families, the flying public to leave no stone unturned, to learn every lesson that we can.
▶ 0:35:21I want to thank the friends and families of the victims who are here today, including Laura Ojandra, Amy Hunter, and families. Your presence keeps your loved ones memories alive, and your advocacy reminds us to stay focused on the endless pursuit to improve aviation safety.
▶ 0:35:38And in response to the accident, the DOT and FAA took several actions at the time to address pressing issues that the crash exposed, including swiftly banning most non-essential helicopter operations near DCA, reviewing 21 US airports to identify risk factors and safety issues similar to those at DCA, requiring federal agencies that [clears throat] uh conduct aircraft operations near DCA to broadcast their position using ADSB out.
▶ 0:36:07Hard questions yet remain and still have yet to be asked, but I look forward uh to hearing how FA is developing the new policies, bolstering safety redundancies, and preparing for the NTSB's final report and recommendations, and evaluating any systemic issues beyond the purview of the NTSB investigation. I'm committed to this effort and working with Chair Chair Graves and Chair Nell's and Ranking Member uh Carson and this committee to fully address the NTSB recommendations.
▶ 0:36:37and hold the FA accountable to those recommendations. Now, the aftermath of the accident also put a spotlight on the aging air traffic control system or ATC system. Modernizing the nation's ATC system is long overdue. Last year, the GAO found that of FA's 138 systems, uh, 105 are unsustainable or potentially That's why TI members from both sides of the aisle did in fact support the 12 billion investment in ATC modernization and understand that
▶ 0:37:07additional funding will likely be needed. But before any additional investment, the FA must show its work and be more transparent about how it's spending this investment. Although the FA finally selected prime integrator Paraton to oversee its modernization efforts, there are still several questions about next steps.
▶ 0:37:25And as the administration moves forward, Congress has to ensure this modernization initiative is datadriven, transparent, and of course safety Unfortunately, this is the year as uh chair noted that the that the NAS has been pushed to unprecedented limits and the [clears throat] decrease in employment numbers at the FA and DOT earlier this year and the administration's early retirement buyouts pushed safety critical employees to depart the agency subsequently increasing the strain on the personnel who were left behind and the airspace as a
▶ 0:37:55whole. These actions also resulted in an extraordinary loss of institutional knowledge and technical expertise from the agency, making it more difficult for the FA to meet its safety mission. And so we've have questions as well about personal hiring um and safety critical mission um employment.
▶ 0:38:14During the recent 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 families while protecting travelers. Not only did the shutdown create daily operational disruptions, it also caused long-term stress and uncertainty for the hardworking women and men of the US aviation workforce.
▶ 0:38:38The stress of the shutdown was further exacerbated by the unprecedented safety decision to quickly reduce airline flight capacity by up to 10% at 40 hight traffic airports across the country. And while I agree that aviation safety risks in the NAS had to be addressed immediately, it became apparent that the decision uh was made quickly, perhaps it had to be, but also without adequate coordination with key aviation stakeholders.
▶ 0:39:02So consequently, airlines, general aviation, and other stakeholders had to make big changes to operations with little to no notice, increasing risk in the NAS and create increasing um other risk in the NAS. So this unprecedented nature of the administration's decision to um limit air traffic and demands to limit air traffic demands congressional review, an issue I've talked to the administrator about.
▶ 0:39:25That's why I along with several of my Democratic colleagues in the 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. And uh you did um transmit a response letter late last night. Um I've re reviewed it only reviewed it.
▶ 0:39:44I'll read it a little more in depth uh soon enough, but I hope that you can shed some more light on that decision today and respond to any follow-up questions that we may have in a member briefing uh by the by next month. So, in conclusion, the appointment of a new administrator gives the FAA a chance to provide long-term stability at a time when it's most needed. And while the challenges before you um haven't been and won't be easy, this committee does share the your goal of meeting these safety challenges head-on.
▶ 0:40:13So, Administrator Bedford, thank you for joining us today, and I look forward to hearing from you. With that, yield back. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 0:40:18The gentleman yields. I'd like to now welcome our witness, Administrator Bedford, and thank you for being here. You got a light lighting system in front of you. Five minutes is what we're asking. Uh, when you give an opening, I ask you and ask consent that the witness full statements be included in the record without objection. I also ask you ask consent that the record of today's hearing remain open until such time as our witness has provided answers to any questions that may be submitted to them in writing without objection to order.
▶ 0:40:45I also ask you extent that the record remain open for 15 days for any additional comments and information submitted by members or witness to be included in the record of today's hearing without objection. And as your written testimony has been made part of the record, the subcommittee asks that you limit your oral remarks to the five minutes. With that, Administrator Bedford, you are recognized for five
▶ 0:41:08Thank you, Chairman Nails, uh, Ranking Member Carson, Chairman Graves, and Ranking Member Larson. I want to thank you so much for the opportunity to be here this morning. It's my first opportunity to appear as the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and I do welcome the opportunity to provide an update for you on the FAA's work to strengthen aviation safety, to modernize air traffic control, and prepare for the future. I'd also like to begin by acknowledging the tragic accident involving PSA flight 5342 at Reagan National.
▶ 0:41:39It was a sobering reminder why the FAA exists and why I answered the President Trump's call and Secretary Duffy to accept this Our mission is simple but critical to protect pilots, flight attendants, and the traveling public by objectively analyzing safety data to identify risk and urgently act on the data to mitigate that risk.
▶ 0:42:03As you pointed out, immediately after the accident, the FAA did take decisive action to permanently restrict non-essential helicopter operations in the Capitol region, permanently close certain helicopter routes, eliminating visual separation approaches, and requiring the broadcast of ADSB out signals with limited exceptions. Furthermore, we reviewed operational hotspots across the nation where we saw mixed traffic environments creating elevated risk, identified potential threats, and mitigated those threats.
▶ 0:42:33With continued support of the National Transportation Safety Board's investigations, we work with them on the recent UPS MD11 accident. These investigations reinforce the importance of constant vigilance and a willingness to re-examine our processes, our assumptions, and our oversight. The FA remains closely engaged in overseeing how Boeing manages design, manufacturing, and quality across its programs, including its production system.
▶ 0:43:00[clears throat] I have confidence in the FA's workforce performing this oversight, many of whom continue to carry out critical safety work during the recent government The shutdown placed extraordinary strain on the FAA and its people, air traffic controllers, safety inspectors, technicians, engineers, and many others who continued to report to work without pay during the 43-day lapse and I sincerely appreciate their professionalism and dedication to our safety
▶ 0:43:30mission. But let me be clear, well before the shutdown, the FAA was already struggling with the shortage of qualified controllers. The shutdown exacerbated those those challenges. Staffing triggers reached unprecedented levels, rising from mere single digits prior to the lapse to more than 80 in a single day. Applying the hard lessons learned from the DCA accident, the FAA safety team identified controller workload and system demand as emerging risk factors.
▶ 0:44:00As a response to this increased risk, we temporarily reduced flight operations at 40 hightra The connection between controller workload, system demand, and operational risks was unmistakable. It reinforced the need for the FAA to act decisively when the data demands it and underscored the importance of stable controller Hiring and retaining a strong workforce remains essential to FAA's safety mission.
▶ 0:44:29Under Secretary Duffy's leadership, the FAA met its fiscal 25 hiring goal of adding more than 2,000 new controller trainees. We remain on track to hire 8,900 additional controller trainees through We expanded the enhanced air tra collegiate training initiative to nine institutions and we continue hiring inspectors engineers on the spot offering relocation incentives to place key personnel in critical locations.
▶ 0:45:00As we grow the workforce, the FAA must also evolve. The aviation ecosystem is changing rapidly and the agency must adapt to keep pace with innovation while maintaining the highest safety President Trump's recent executive orders reinforced the need for modernization, efficiency, and innovation across the FAA.
▶ 0:45:23Congress provided a strong foundation through the FAA Reauthorization Act of That act directs the FAA to become more agile, more efficient, and I'm pleased to share that implementation is well underway. The FAA is also moving toward an agencywide system management uh to incl ensure lessons learned from accidents, incidents, and near misses are identified and acted upon consistently across the agency. The national airspace system must be renewed.
▶ 0:45:53President Trump has articulated a bold vision for a new air traffic control system within the next three years. That critical work is well underway. We recently selected an integrator to assist in our efforts. We've compressed radar and telekcom modernization into a three-year timeline, and we've already transitioned more than one-third of the copper infrastructure to fiber. We've deployed our first digital radios and voice switches. The one big, beautiful bill provided a historic 12.5 billion dollar down payment on this critical effort.
▶ 0:46:24The DCA tragedy and the government shutdown were defining moments for the FAA this year. They exposed vulnerabilities, but they also drove action and sharpened our focus. Today, the FAA is more proactive and more determined than ever to fulfill its safety mission. We owe the American people a system that is safe, modern, resilient, and built for the future. That's the course that we're on, and with continued support of this committee, we will achieve it.
▶ 0:46:52Thank you, and I look forward to your Thank you, Administrator Bedford, uh, for your testimony. We will now turn to questions from the panel. I'll recognize myself for five minutes. Administrator Bedford, uh, the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA of 2026 includes section 373, which in my opinion does not improve safety in the DC metropolitan airspace and instead maintain similar operational exceptions that existed at the time of the tragic midair collision
▶ 0:47:23over the PTOAC that claimed 67 innocent lives just 11 months ago. And as written, this provision effectively gives the military very broad very broad discretion to operate under concurrent waiver authority without enhanced tracking or broadcast requirements that could prevent midair conflicts at the low Administrator Bedford, are you familiar with this language?
▶ 0:47:49And if you are, do you envision any safety concerns that could arise if it's enacted as currently
▶ 0:47:56Well, thank you for the question, Chairman Nails. Um, I'm told it's FAA policy not to comment on legislation while it's going through the through the process and I will try to respect that. I will advise the committee that normally when language like this is discussed, it's customary to reach out to the FAA and ask for a technical consult or some form of technical advisory. I can tell you that did not happen in this case.
▶ 0:48:24uh we learned of section 373 essentially when everybody else did last week. But let me be clear regardless of what let me say this. Let me be clear that our intent is not to go back to where we were prior to January the 29th. As long as I'm administrator and I believe it's true as long as Secretary Duffy is Secretary of Transportation, we are not going to re go back into a position of less safe airspace environment. We will monitor the airspace with vigilance.
▶ 0:48:51And with safety first. Well, I'll put simply put for me, I do not believe that the military should be conducting any classified training missions or check rides up and down the PTOIC River in one of the most congested class B airspaces in the country. I don't agree.
▶ 0:49:08Administrator Bedford, given last week's announcement that Paraton will serve as the prime integrator responsible for overseeing the administration's air traffic control modernization plan, what distinct role do you envision Paraton will be playing and what guard rails do you have in place to ensure that they are being held accountable to the deadlines and efficiency metrics?
▶ 0:49:30Well, again, thank you for that question. I think it's on everybody's mind on this committee and and frankly within the administration that modernization not turn into another nextgen boondoggle. We need to make sure that modernization gets done gets done on time and achieves the results that we've set before this committee uh which is to deploy new technology within the next three years. That's off-the-shelf technology not some new technology that may or may not be created over the next several years.
▶ 0:49:59So Paraton's mission is to assist the FAA and then frankly to lead us in thinking about how to execute modernization when we get to what I think are extremely challenging issues for us. That is migrating from uh traditional TDMI analog systems into voiceover internet protocol uh uh digital architectures. These are not competencies that the FAA has internally. We need assistance from people who have done this before. Paraton brings us that experience. Fair enough.
▶ 0:50:29You mentioned to it, you talk about the one big beautiful bill, the 12.5 billion, the down payment. You know, it 4 I mean it's laid out there. It's right on this sheet here. It says 4.75 billion for telecommunications, 3 billion radar replacement, 500 million runway safety technology, another 80 million for automated weather observ. I mean, it's all laid out there. 1 billion for the potential of Traycons, another 100 million for artsies. Uh how do you how do you feel that is going?
▶ 0:50:58I mean do where where are we at with the 12.5? I mean how much of a have we spent? I mean how how we doing with the 12.5?
▶ 0:51:06Well just as a way of uh giving the committee some insight on how we're thinking about this. Um you know we've adopted a mantra of think slow, move fast, understanding what the end state of modernization needs to look like and then determining how best to plot a course to get there as opposed to just let's go out and spend money. So, we've spent the last four and a half months plotting out what the end state of the Nash should look like, the national airspace system when modernization is accomplished.
▶ 0:51:33And it's an exciting vision, and I'd be happy to get into more detail with you on that. But to directly answer your question, we've committed by the end of this year uh over $6 billion of the 12 that's on telecom infrastructure, new radar surveillance systems, all of which will be deployed over the next two and a half
▶ 0:51:51I think that's a beautiful thing. I you know when we pass this one big beautiful bill I always talk about quarterly reports. So we passed this in July and it says no later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this act and every 90 days after the administrator of the FAA shall submit to Congress a report. So we're talking sometime in January of 2026. Are you prepared?
▶ 0:52:14Are you going to be able to come up and submit a report that says, "Hey, this is where the 12.5 is being spent and and and fulfilled your commitment here by law."
▶ 0:52:24We're good. All right. Um, with that, Mr. Carson, I yield to you, sir. Thank you, Administrator.
▶ 0:52:32Thank you, good chairman. [clears throat] Uh, Mr. Administrator, a after the very terrible mid-air collision this year of a military helicopter and a passenger plane, many of us serving on the subcommittee urged restrictions on military flights around DCA, particularly military training flights at the height of passenger traffic. We strongly warned against helicopters flying dark without transponders. FA's implementation of some of these recommendations was a step in the right direction.
▶ 0:53:03Thank you. at least until we receive the NTSB report in the coming months. Now, unfortunately, someone in the Senate didn't agree and inserted concerning provisions in the NDAA that passed last week, as you know. Mr. Administrator, will you commit to our committee, sir, that FAA will maintain the stronger safety measures put in place after the crash, sir?
▶ 0:53:26Thank you for that question, uh, Ranking Member Carson. The accident in uh at Reagan National on January 29th, I think shook the FAA to its core. Safety is our foundational mission. It's what everybody in the agency's focused on every day on every flight. That's the mission to complete it safely. There were gaps that we now see. We can look in the rearview mirror and we can see the gaps that existed.
▶ 0:53:52Things that tragically had to perfectly line up to enable that crash to occur. As rare as it is, the fact that it could happen at all was a is a hard lesson learned for the agency. Those gaps have been closed and they will remain closed as long as I'm the administrator. Sir,
▶ 0:54:10secondly, sir, will you commit to us that you will use your authority to try and close military exemptions and loopholes that could increase the risk for another mid-air collision?
▶ 0:54:21Well, I think let me elaborate a little bit on that. The military's actually been great partners since the DCA accident. And there's a lot of learning on both sides. And and while I think we always strive for more transparency and more collaboration, some of these this new muscle memory is a bit unnatural. But I will say that we've had great cooperation from uh the Pentagon in terms of how we've uh enabled new restrictions in the capital region airspace. So I would anticipate that to continue.
▶ 0:54:49We're in the process of renegotiating our memorandum of agreement in terms of how we continue to operate with those restrictions in the capital region. and I expect that to
▶ 0:54:59Yes, sir. Mr. Administrator, the the administration opened the now defunct Doge office to allegedly cut waste and fraud, but instead very important staffing and grant funding was targeted. Improving airport operations improves aviation safety. I think we can all agree. One example was the very shortsighted cancellation of funding to improve the solar farm at the Indianapolis International Airport.
▶ 0:55:26This facility is the largest of its kind, very remarkable, and has enjoyed bipartisan support since it first opened because it improves the operational efficiency of the airport's grid and lowers costs, which benefits passengers and industry. Mr. Administrator, will you please sir provide the subcommittee with a full list of FAA grants that were terminated or not dispersed?
▶ 0:55:50And secondly, please provide the rationale, sir, for the terminations and whether these decisions can be reviewed for the restoration of funding in the future.
▶ 0:55:58Well, thank you for the question. I've got the team back here taking notes, so they'll be happy to uh revert back to you with uh any answers I'm unable to provide. Uh it's my understanding that whenever there's a change in administration, it's customary for the incoming administration to evaluate the priorities of the prior administration. I believe that happened. that that is something that's been consistent, you know, in many of the past changes that we've seen.
▶ 0:56:24And unlike uh and not unlike previous changes, this administration has a different view of solar and wind and alternative energy projects. So, while these decisions were taken prior to my um installation as administrator, my understanding is that all of the funding programs went sort of through a re-evaluation. And more likely than not, that's the reason that the Indianapolis program was was terminated. But I'm happy to provide you with a reconciliation of other programs that might have been terminated.
▶ 0:56:53That would be a big help. Thank you, sir. I yield back. Chairman,
▶ 0:56:56gentleman yields. And I'll recognize Mr.
▶ 0:57:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What's sir, what specific actions has the FAA taken to fully implement the president's directive for non-discriminatory merit-based hiring across all positions? Well, simply put, sir, the the goal today is to hire the best people, give them the best training and the best tools, and expect the best results.
▶ 0:57:21I like to say, put the best player in, coach. So, I appreciate that. Does the administration plan to alter minimum pilot crew requirements in response to increased automation?
▶ 0:57:32There are no plans today, sir, that I'm aware of to alter the minimum crew
▶ 0:57:37Good. How are you going to ensure that hardworking Americans don't lose well-paying aviation jobs?
▶ 0:57:43Well, sir, I can tell you President Trump's uh executive orders uh lay out a fantastic opportunity for innovation in the aviation space. Whether that's unleashing drone dominance, reasserting supersonic air travel potential or advanced air mobility uh through our EIP programs.
▶ 0:58:01I mean we have a wonderful opportunity to onshore innovative technologies and frankly these are technologies that were in fact invented here but we have to create a regulatory architecture that will enable them to deploy cost-effectively [snorts] and maintain safety within the national airspace system.
▶ 0:58:18Yeah. What I'm afraid with these um executive orders though maybe not so much in this committee but some of the others I've seen Congress is pretty gutless to codify those. got about 20 or so that are in the in bill form that won't even receive a PEEP because we don't have the guts to do what President Trump has really been given a mandate to do. Um, will automation eliminate cargo carrier pilot jobs?
▶ 0:58:46I'm sorry.
▶ 0:58:47I said, will automation eliminate cargo carrier pilot jobs?
▶ 0:58:53I don't think automation will eliminate jobs. I think automation will increase opportunity, especially if we think about delivery service convenience to small communities or even within cities. We're today using uh drone deployment in the Dallas Fort Worth area. We have almost 2,000 drone operations today doing small package delivery, medicines, things that are making it more convenient for consumers to get vital, you know, medications that they need. These are not taking jobs away.
▶ 0:59:21These are simply adding more convenience uh for American consumers.
▶ 0:59:25Thank you. It seems crazy to me that the US has more relaxed requirements for foreign repair stations than at home. Should countries like China have stricter inspection requirements?
▶ 0:59:37Uh well, I I understand the uh concern over foreign inspection repair services. I think our answer to that should be more workforce development because what what we're struggling with here sir is a difficulty developing maintenance technicians and encouraging that profession. There's I think a strong desire for American aviation to have that ecosystem here in the United States than it is to seek
▶ 1:00:00I agree with you. I think it's these education snobs that have told America that we're not going to do these things anymore. And I mean honestly it you're not going to send a clogged toilet to Mexico. We got to have folks here have a degree in technological adult and adult education. We'd call that shop back in the day, but u everybody I graduated with has a job is training people in the trades and it's just it's
▶ 1:00:24these are wonderful highpaying jobs and we need more of them here.
▶ 1:00:27I think maybe we need to get out of some of these uh sky boxes at these ball games and start and as as legislators and start figuring out what the heck's going wrong in the system. Um, you think
▶ 1:00:39if I could, I think we need to challenge our aviation partners, our commercial airlines to be more focused on workforce development as well.
▶ 1:00:45I agree with that. You know, my mama flew an airplane during the Second World War. She'd lost her brother fighting the Nazis and she daddy was off fighting the Japanese with the Marine Corps in the Pacific. And um, you know, she's 17year-old little girl, didn't have electricity till she's a senior in high school. She's flying a dad gum airplane. When I was 17, I was trying to figure out how to turn on a microwave oven, you know. So, I I appreciate that. Would tougher foreign requirements bring back maintenance work to US shops and help protect American jobs?
▶ 1:01:17I'm I'm not sure I heard that.
▶ 1:01:19Would tougher foreign requirements bring back maintenance work to the US shops and help protect American jobs?
▶ 1:01:26So, our surveillance is actually on the airlines themselves. So our requirement is wherever they source maintenance, it has to meet our technical specifications and our maintenance oversight. So our accountability resides with the commercial airlines who are making those decisions. But again, I do believe if we could build out better infrastructure here, our commercial airline users would take advantage of it.
▶ 1:01:49Is the administration providing regulatory relief to domestic repair
▶ 1:01:54I apologize. I'm having a very difficult time over that.
▶ 1:01:57I'm sorry. It's my accent. I'm from East Tennessee. It's the only place in America where people don't speak with an accent. So, I forgive you for that. Um, is the administr Thank you for the laughter. Is the administration providing regulatory [clears throat] relief to domestic repair stations?
▶ 1:02:13I'm not aware of the uh of the answer to that, sir.
▶ 1:02:16Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I went over. I apologize. Thank you, brother.
▶ 1:02:20Gentleman yields. I now recognize the ranking member, Mr. Larson.
▶ 1:02:24Thank you. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, first off, uh, administrator, I mentioned this to you last night. I just wanted to get have you give me an update on the, uh, status of the notice of funding opportunity for aviation workforce development grants. The administration has yet to issue NOFOs for these 2025 grants. Representative Strickland and I wrote a letter to you all uh, about this. Do you have an update for me?
▶ 1:02:48Uh, yes, sir. I do think this is an area where we're a little tardy. Uh we need to, you know, pick up our tempo on how to get these snow out and funded. Uh like I was referring to uh uh ranking member Carson's question. You know, anytime we have a change in administration, it's normal to sort of recalibrate what the conditionality of uh different uh grant programs are.
▶ 1:03:12We did go through that recalibration as I understand it and are now getting the nos out with the intention to fund them uh as quickly as possible.
▶ 1:03:20Well, we'll we'll push you on that. continue to push on that and even though Mr. Burchett's left uh these these particular grants are being used to great effect in my district at repair stations um to train the next generation workforce. So please do that on the next question I have and I'm just going to run through these uh quickly. So it's my understanding the FA and TSA sorry this is on BV loss now sorry change the subject uh on FA and TSA um that you've planned to issue separate BV loss rules.
▶ 1:03:49Can you confirm that the FA and TSA are still going to do that and give us an updated timeline for the FA's review of comments for its BV loss rule?
▶ 1:03:58Yes, thank you for the question on BV loss. I think this is a this is an exciting time in aviation. We've created an ecosystem where we can have uh drone operations work safely within the NAS uh deconlicted from the start.
▶ 1:04:14Um we have worked hard uh across you know our government uh institutions with the TAC in particularly trying to find a you know a compromise between unleashing drone dominance but also making sure that we're maintaining the highest levels of drone safety. Uh we received 3,000 comments back from our notice of proposed rulemaking. I think good comments.
▶ 1:04:39We're going to sit down with industry and have a uh you know a session I think in the next two weeks where we're going to try to make sure that we can find a rule that meets everybody's needs especially as it relates to certification of drones you know and how how those going from sort of prescriptive uh criteria to more performance-based metrics.
▶ 1:05:00Again, we'd like to create a rule that allows the FAA to sort of uh monitor but not um not be the bottleneck in terms of how we unleash drone opportunities across the country. Um I can't speak for the TSA. There were certainly some fairly heavy comments that came back as it relates to the amount of training or security protocols that potential handlers of uh of the boxes uh that might be.
▶ 1:05:27So you can imagine organizations like Walmart are concerned about how much uh training and security demands are there. But I'm hopeful, you know, that we'll get a rule both from us and the TSA that will enable us to deploy drones across the
▶ 1:05:40I think on that point, I don't need a comment. I think uh um I'm going to send you uh a letter regarding my concerns about the counter UAS provisions in the DoD bill and how they run counter to our counter UAS. um uh provisions that we have in our bipartisan tri committee bill and we'll get some uh hopefully get some feedback from you on that.
▶ 1:06:06Um on air traffic control numbers, the number you gave us in the testimony, is that a net number over time? I'm presuming there will be people who are retiring as well as your hiring. So, is your 8,000 plus a net number or is that um a number of hires, but you haven't factored in the number of retirements? Uh so as I said in my my oral testimony, we've hired over 2,000 trainees this year and the we will hire the intent is to hire somewhere between 2200 and 2500 trainees in this fiscal year.
▶ 1:06:37And so the 8,900 is a total over four years
▶ 1:06:41of hire. But how about is that a net number of
▶ 1:06:44well that that is the that's the challenge. Uh we still see a lot of retirements. uh we see folks who you know frankly can't take the pace of the work you know we have a a retention issue within our controller workforce I think you know whether this is the appropriate hearing to talk for it we can talk I could spend quite a bit of time talking to you about workforce development as it relates to controllers how we train them and how we deploy them and then finally um thanks for the letter we're going to review that letter with regards to the um regards
▶ 1:07:14to the uh flight capacity reductions I do think we may have to have um a separate time to walk through both the decision-m process you went through and I understand the urgency of the of the moment but are there lessons going that we've learned from doing that in the event something like this maybe a shutdown maybe something more tragic uh hap happens in the airspace um in the future about how the FA will go forward in looking at flight capacity reductions
▶ 1:07:44in the event of some external uh um external factor that force is at. And I think that's probably a lot what we're looking for in terms of the letter, some some lessons learned and where we can get where we can go from there. And so your letter is a good I think basis to start to get the answers, but probably not where we probably not where I certainly wanted uh you to go. So we need some followup on that in the
▶ 1:08:10Yes. I'd like to applaud the uh safety professionals at the the FAA. They did good work bringing this forward. was not a popular decision. Uh there are clearly lessons learned where I think we can be even more proactive than than how we responded to this threat.
▶ 1:08:26Thank you. And I want to thank the chairman for his focus as well on modernization oversight and uh we look forward to that as well. Thank you.
▶ 1:08:34Thank you, sir. I now recognize Mr. Stalber. Five minutes.
▶ 1:08:38Uh thank you, Administrator Bedford. It's great to see you. Uh I first want to thank you Secretary Duffy uh for the investment in the third oldest air traffic control tower in this nation at the Duth International Airport. I'm extremely excited to see that uh um you know get built. Uh it's going to help not only general aviation, commercial aviation, but we also have the 148th Fighter Wing uh the F-16 group out of Duth. It's a tremendous asset to our nation, national security, and our community.
▶ 1:09:08Uh so first off, thank you for that. Uh, in December 2023, the FAA recognized the need to reform its current mental health policies and established the mental health and aviation medical clearances aviation rulemaking committee or ARC to identify barriers to mental health care for aviators and present recommendations to the FAA to address these challenges. The imple implementation of these recommendations was directed in section 411 of the FAA reauthorization bill that we passed last year.
▶ 1:09:39Unfortunately, there was no required timeline for implementation, which is why I've introduced legislation uh along with Congressman Casten from Illinois, the Mental Health and Aviation Act to ensure the timely implementation of section 411. The bill also provides additional resources to recruit and train more aviation medical examiners. And I am grateful that this bill has passed the House and now awaits consideration in the Senate.
▶ 1:10:04Uh, until such time as the bill is enacted into law, could you share what steps the FAA has taken thus far to handle the backlog of medical certifications?
▶ 1:10:14Yes, sir, I can. Thank you for the question. I'm going to do a quick shout out to Secretary Duffy here for unlocking your uh air traffic control tower resources. Uh, and also put down a marker because everybody in this committee, I'm sure, has similar concerns with the obsolescence and the age of their facilities. They're woefully inadequate, terribly unsustainable. Agreed.
▶ 1:10:34And we do need additional funding to to to [clears throat] address it more comprehensively. As it relates to your question on uh on uh medical certifications, I'm pleased to report that uh over the last five months, we've reduced the backlog of medical certifications. We had over 5,000 individuals waiting longer than six months to have their cases adjudicated and their metal certifications restored. We've reduced that number to under 300.
▶ 1:11:04So, we've made great progress moving the backlog around. As a pilot, I understand this is uh these are vocational requirements that in order to keep our pilots certified to fly, we need to be more responsive.
▶ 1:11:17We've got new technology that we're able to uh that we're hopefully bringing to market in the first half of next year that will provide more clarity uh in terms of how we communicate and make the ease of medical certification um I'll call them se exceptions make those disputes more easy to adjudicate and work through the process which with more clarity for both the user as well as for our medical team.
▶ 1:11:42But I I do want to recognize just the heroic work that the staff in uh AV Medical has done in order to be responsive. More work to do for sure. Mental health, again, we've I was meet with the APA last week. I think they're pleased at the progress we're making in terms of identifying medications that can now be used without creating stigma.
▶ 1:12:00That's ex that's extremely important because we know that one in four of us as adults are going to experience a mental health crisis in our life. It should not we should we should be when the pilots come in for help that's a sign of strength as you know Mr. Bedford. So we want them to get the help that they need. It's going to help uh safety in the skies. It's going to help the pilot him or herself and it's going to help their families. That's why that's important. So I appreciate we moving forward on that.
▶ 1:12:23The last question is um uh the FAA recently proposed a rule on beyond visual line of sight uh uh drone operations. In the proposal of rightaway rules, could you clarify whether the FAA has identified any potential safety concerns with the provisions that give unmanned aircraft rightway over manned aircraft? And just that last part of that sentence, unmanned aircraft right away over manned aircraft. I know it's a proposed rule. Can you tell us a little bit about that decision-making and why?
▶ 1:12:52Uh yes, sir, I can. I think the BV loss rule in and of itself is one of the more impactful things we've done this year to un to respond to the president's executive order to unleash drone dominance. Uh if you understand how and I'm sure you do understand how airplanes are separated, what we created essentially was a a a corridor where drones can operate safely, where they're essentially deconlicted from air traffic. Uh you can imagine if we make drones actually transpond that adds weight and reduces their performance capabilities.
▶ 1:13:23However, we can make drones recognize aircraft that are transponding and take evasive action. So, in terms of rightaway, essentially anything under 400 ft. Uh drones do have rightaway. Frankly, airplanes aren't supposed to fly below 1,000 ft unless they're on an approach to a runway. There are exceptions, however, when crop dusting, for example. Those are where protect potential conflicts exist, and those are the things where we're looking perhaps for some nuance uh to the current rulemaking process. Uh, thank you very much.
▶ 1:13:53I see my time's up and I yield back. Mr. Chair,
▶ 1:13:55gentleman yields. I now recognize Miss Schultton for five.
▶ 1:13:58Thank you, Chair Neils, Ranking Member Carson for putting together uh such an important hearing. Uh, welcome, Administrator Bedford. Uh, we are uh so excited to welcome you to this post and would love to invite you out to uh my district at some point to see some of our uh FAA assets that we have out there.
▶ 1:14:17Um, before we get to that, Americans are still reeling from the president's historically long government shutdown, second only to the last shutdown that occurred during his first term. The pain of this shutdown was felt keenly by the traveling public and hardworking aviation professionals. Unfortunately, uh, not only did our air traffic controllers miss paychecks, but Secretary Duffy threatened to fire air traffic controllers for calling in sick.
▶ 1:14:46and the president toyed with the idea of holding back pay to federal employees, including air traffic controllers. We all know that we have to boost air traffic controller recruitment to rightsize the workforce, but I'm concerned about how poor morale will hinder these efforts. And I'm wondering how you might continue to work with this committee uh to ensure that towers are properly staffed.
▶ 1:15:14I have a very specific question for you. You know, I I'm not asking you to appine directly on whether those actions were right or wrong uh by the uh by the secretary or the president, but do you have concerns about how Secretary Duffy or President Trump's comments might impact air traffic controller recruitment efforts
▶ 1:15:38Well, thank you for the question. Um, and without opining one way or the other, I can tell you that the FAA will work better if government continues to be funded. So, if I could encourage a you didn't ask you did ask my opinion, so I'll share it. If you if you ask me the the default position for if you don't like the current budget should be the current budget just continues, right? And and we
▶ 1:16:02and I agree with that. But specifically, I'm asking whether you think the threats from Secretary Duffy or the president will impact the FAA's ability uh to to recruit and and have impact on the morale of air traffic controllers.
▶ 1:16:15So, as I said in my opening remarks, the FAA was short-handed prior to the the lapse in funding. No one can argue that the lapse in funding was anything other than painful for those federal workers who were called to work without pay during what turned out to be the longest six week shutdown in history. I don't think anybody's happy about that and nobody wants to see it happen again. But we do have an obligation to come to work. That's that is part of the obligation we take as federal workers. I work without pay for six months. Nobody enjoys that.
▶ 1:16:45Sorry, six six weeks.
▶ 1:16:48felt like six months. Uh
▶ 1:16:50and it's illegal for our controllers to have a job action. We saw two facilities at the very end of the uh laps where we had ATZ0 because none of the controllers showed up for work. So we do have to ask some tough questions about was that a job action if it was it's just not that's not tolerable. So I think there is an accountability but overall yes culturally it's difficult to get the kind of engagement that we want when we can't pay people to come to work
▶ 1:17:17absolutely but but specifically about the threats to fire people if if they are sick. I mean, people get sick during a government shutdown, threatening to fire them and make making people afraid, you know, forcing them to potentially come to work when they're under the weather. Do you think that has an impact on morale?
▶ 1:17:32I think that's a a mischaracterization of what the secretary was referring to when we see facilities that go at zero staffing. I
▶ 1:17:41I think he I think he specifically threatened to fire people if they did if they did take sick time. And the president also threatened to withhold back pay. And you know, the the question here is whether you think that has an impact on morale. I I've certainly heard from air traffic controllers directly that it has and and I'm curious if that's risen to your your level. I I know that you share our concerns about making sure we want to reach the appropriate levels of staffing. This is a truly a matter of public safety.
▶ 1:18:11Yeah. So I clearly the FAA culture needs a reset. And one of the ways we can do that is talk about how can we support our people, hire the right people, hire the best people, give them the best training, give them the best tools, and that's what we're focused on doing right now. We're moving into the future. I think it's bright. But look, we have to perform as a management team and as leadership, we have to deliver on the
▶ 1:18:33Absolutely. Absolutely. And we're we're willing to work with you there on all fronts. I agree that government shutdowns are disastrous. We are going to work uh and do everything we can here to avoid them in the future, but we also ask for your partnership in doing everything we can to to boost that morale and make sure that people feel, you know, safe uh in in their workplace as well. Uh before we go and my time is running out, I do want to, you know, reiterate our our invitation to have you come out uh to the district.
▶ 1:19:01Uh we have a a wonderful air traffic control tower that uh is in need, desperate need of replacement. Gerald R. for an international airport. Uh would love uh to talk with you um about uh making sure that we can keep this on track. It has been a number uh one and number two priority for the FAA. Can the FAA commit to providing GRR with prompt information so it can proceed with construction procurement about the status of the the air traffic control tower there at at
▶ 1:19:30I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. We need funding. We need more investment across the national airspace system. So you're you're not alone. I have family in Grand Rapids. My dad's family's from there. My mom's family's from there. Fantastic.
▶ 1:19:43I'd love to give Senator Peters, says Ster before he leaves. Y
▶ 1:19:47we need funding. If we can if you can help us out on funding, we'll get it
▶ 1:19:50We do. We do. Well, we invite you to Grand Rapids. We'll get Senator Peters out there as well. We can we can all get lunch. Thank you. Thank you so much for for what you do and your service to this
▶ 1:19:59Thank you. Now,
▶ 1:20:00yeah. Thank you. And and for the record, a Republican on the Senate side wanted to pay the ATC's, pay all the air traffic controllers, pay all the federal employees, and it was rejected by the Democrats. Just for the record, I now recognize uh uh Mr. Tracy for five
▶ 1:20:14Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Minister Bedford. Thank you for administrator Bedford. Thank you for being here today. I represent the uh big first district of Kansas. Aviation is a critical industry in my state with roughly a 100 g general aviation airports, several commercial regional airports, and a huge footprint in aviation and aerospace manufacturing. As you're well aware, the uh FA Real Station Act that we passed included critical provisions to ensure that our aviation industries are able to improve services, bolster the workforce, and promote American innovation.
▶ 1:20:44And I'm grateful um that we are well on our way to fixing the problems of the past FAA under your leadership. I really appreciate the progress that's been made and uh that we're wasting no time and getting to a better place. Just a handful of questions. Um as mentioned before, the aviation and airspace industry is incredibly important to Kansas and I want to ensure that we have a robust and technically skilled workforce for both the FAA and the industry.
▶ 1:21:10Can you provide an update on the AY's efforts to maintain and and grow a strong technical workforce and provide safety oversight to an industry that is driving innovation and technology? Where are we at on on
▶ 1:21:23Well, if I'm being perfectly honest here, I think we're behind. I think there's a lot more work that needs to be done and frankly work that can be done. We need to celebrate our community college colleges across the country. We need to invest in them. We're doing that with our collegiate air traffic control training program. We're giving them the resources, automation technologies, simulation technologies, and they're going to be a critical partner in building the workforce of the future for us.
▶ 1:21:50And we need to do that with maintenance technical training, pilot dispatch training. I mean, there's so many things that we need to celebrate and getting our young people interested in careers in aviation. In my prior life, I spent the last 10 years building one of the largest training infrastructures in the country because we couldn't solve the problems. No, no offense, counting on Congress to fix it for us or frankly counting on the FAA to fix it for us. So, industry also has to own this.
▶ 1:22:18Industry also needs to invest in the workforce of the future. And I think we can partner with them whether that's through legislation and funding or just through our bully pulpit and making sure it's in their own self-interest that they realize they have to work with us and invest some of their profits in building the workforce of the future.
▶ 1:22:35Yeah, I agree. Um, next question. Um, changed topics a little bit, but the FAA contract tower program provides ATC safety and efficiency benefits at 265 airports across the country, including eight in Kansas.
▶ 1:22:50The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 included a provision for the FAA and the Department of Labor to update long overdue wage determinations for contract controllers and create a new wage determination category or occupation code for air traffic managers at contract towers. Just like federal controllers and managers, we need to ensure that our contract controllers and managers receive appropriate compensation for the important ATC services that that they provide um for the national airspace.
▶ 1:23:18Can you give us an update on the status of this provision and when we can expect the wage determinations to be completed and the new category for air traffic managers to be established?
▶ 1:23:29Well, honestly, no, sir. I can't give you a specific answer to the question, but what I can tell you is I've been to a number of our contract towers. I utilize them in my own private pilot flying, you know. So, Anderson, Indiana, Muny, Indiana are both contract towers. and uh you know frankly they're a tremendous resource especially for our young pilots who are in training to be able to get the experience to have that interaction communicating with tower.
▶ 1:23:53Uh we have contracts of course I think we can do a better job as FAA of managing the accountability of the vendors that we hire to make sure that they have the staff. I can tell you through our collegiate training programs, we have now made those resources available to go into the contract tower environment and we've seen several hundred of those trainees move into the contract tower environment.
▶ 1:24:15So, and of course the final element is we're actually looking at several of the higher demand contract towers to move them into our federal uh tower program. So, there's a lot going on there. I know it's more work needs to be done. The work is done. It's important. Uh we'll get it we'll get it where it needs to be.
▶ 1:24:32Great. All right. Well, we'll follow up with your office on kind of the timing and and when we might expect something there. And lastly, um, you know, over the next 20 years, what I've seen is global demand is expected to require over 40,000 new aircraft to be produced. Can you talk a little bit about the importance for our economy in the US and for safety in general for the industry to get these new aircraft into the hands of the airlines here and also around the
▶ 1:24:58Wow, that's a big question. I don't think I can answer that in 15 seconds. Uh I I'll tell you this. Um as an agency, we can do better helping manufacturing get where they need to be faster, more efficient, better design. Uh we don't have to be a bottleneck in the process, but we need to collaborate more. And some people will hear collaboration and they'll think, "Oh, wait a second. The FA is going to get in the back pocket of industry." That's not it at all.
▶ 1:25:27We need to lead industry to to get to higher levels of quality and safety in the design process as opposed to let them bring us things and then we tell them no. So I do think we can collaborate better. We want Boeing to build that next generation aircraft here in the United States.
▶ 1:25:43Full agreement. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
▶ 1:25:45Gentleman yields. I now recognize Mr.
▶ 1:25:48Thank you, Mr. chairman and ranking member Carson for convening this hearing and uh welcome to this subcommittee administrator Batfoot. I've been asking uh these questions since the start of this administration. When will our towers be fully staffed? When will we stop pushing out the professionals who keep planes in the sky and passengers safe? and when will we stop being stretched to the breaking point?
▶ 1:26:18Now, Administrative Bedford, um the FAA has tasked a company known as Paraton, which is a privately held for-profit national security and technology company founded in 2017.
▶ 1:26:37The FAA has tasked this new company, which has little or no FAA experience, to oversee a 31.5 billion overhaul of our air traffic control system. And earlier uh and I should point out that u Paraton founded in 2017 is owned by a private equity firm.
▶ 1:27:06um Veritus Capital which ranks 46th in the private equity internationals PEI 300 ranking among the world's largest private equity firm.
▶ 1:27:21So, Paraton is owned by Veritas, the 46th biggest private equity company in the world, and Congress has approved a $12.5 billion down payment to this company.
▶ 1:27:41Although the total amount to be and spent with uh of taxpayer money to be spent with uh paraton the total amount has not been decided yet.
▶ 1:27:56So pretty much the taxpayer pocketbook is uh is wide open for this private equity I don't have a lot of confidence in uh this working out for the American people. Um this administration is packed with uh billionaires, 12 billionaires at the highest echelons of this administration.
▶ 1:28:25And uh while the American people recognize that life is getting more expensive, these 12 billionaires and the one who leads them at the top are telling the people that, "Hey, don't believe your lion eyes. Your costs are not going up. We're having a great time here. This is a a wonderful time.
▶ 1:28:49Um, the American people see these billionaires getting richer and richer while they are getting poorer and poorer. And I don't have a lot of confidence that this $ 31.5 billion overhaul of our air traffic control system being overseen by a private equity firm is in the best interest of the American people. this side.
▶ 1:29:16The legislative branch doesn't even know or care about how Paraton was chosen over a company, Parsons Corporation that has extensive experience working with the FAA.
▶ 1:29:33how uh Paraton came to get this contract over a a company like uh uh It's it's seems like a pay-to-play situation which is in keeping with uh everything else we know about this this Given that air traffic controllers are already stretched thin and that technical failures earlier this year caused massive flight disruptions, how is the FAA
▶ 1:30:03ensuring that outsourcing this massive modernization project to a largely untested contractor will not put safety at risk, create further delays, or overburden your already overworked workforce? Well, thank you, Congressman Johnson, for that question.
▶ 1:30:25And before you answer, let me just say to the um families of those who perished, those 67 souls who perished uh in this aircraft disaster that you know, our hearts are with you during this holiday period where it's tough, the first holiday period without these 67 souls. And thank you for being here. Yes, sir.
▶ 1:30:52With the chairman's indulgence,
▶ 1:30:54you can answer the question.
▶ 1:30:55Thank you. Um, well, you you put a lot into that question, so thank you for that. Um, let's let's let me try to take it in the order that you gave it. Uh, first, when will we get our towers fully staffed? Uh, the honest answer, sir, is if we continue with business as usual, never. We'll never catch up. The the system is designed to be chronically understaffed. And I can break that out for you in more detail later.
▶ 1:31:21Uh you asked about Paraton and a $31.5 billion investment. Thank you for that. While we have not asked for the additional 20 billion, I believe the secretary will be on the hill tomorrow with that ask. So thank you in advance for the support.
▶ 1:31:36Um, Paraton specifically uh has an expertise working with the Department of Defense and with NASA doing exactly what the FAA does not have in-house expertise on and that is moving from our antiquated TDMI analog systems to digital VOIP and also dealing in native cloud structure applications. They put the entire DoD in the cloud cyber seccured cloud. Parsons did not have that experience.
▶ 1:32:05Parsons has been a great partner to the FAA. I believe we'll continue to use partner Parsons as part of our implementation partner on modernization, but Paraton brought a competency that is relevant to what we need. Uh had nothing to do with, you know, who they knew. You know, the president did not interfere uh nor did the secretary in the selection process. It was transparent. It was diligent. Uh it was run by both career FAA people.
▶ 1:32:34Um a recommendation came to me. I took that to the secretary. The secretary and I presented it to the president. The president sharpened the pencil uh by demanding a $200 million reduction in the fee cost which was remarkable to witness. Uh so say what you will
▶ 1:32:51out of thin air
▶ 1:32:52but but the man is effective at what he does and no rhyme or reason benefit. But having said all of that, um, you asked another specific question. What does what is Paraton's role? It is to work with the FAA. We're not outsourcing the project. You know, I am the ultimate accountability officer here. And I'm prepared to give you as much transparency and accountability as you desire, sir, and the process is underway.
▶ 1:33:17And I can talk to you about the successes that we're already seeing at the agency rolling out modernization as we move from I mean we've already converted 35% of the old copper to fiber. You know we're rolling out the first digital voice switches and digital radios. I mean we're moving we've taken the bill we've deployed over $6 billion dollar of it. We're getting it done.
▶ 1:33:38Thank you Mr. Bedford. I now recognize Mr. Owens for five minutes.
▶ 1:33:43Thank you uh Mr. Chairman ranking member. I just want to start off by saying uh thank you for that very clarifying statement and answer. Uh it's obvious that you are the expert and we are not up here. So appreciate the information, the u understanding that we're now going to have as we move forward. Uh we've long pride ourselves on the safest airspace anywhere.
▶ 1:34:05The January mid mid midair tragedy near DCA claimed 67 lives and the uptick in and runway in incursions have exposed vulnerabilities we cannot ignore. The 2024 reauthorization provided the FAA with a clear road map and American people placed their confidence in President Trump and his administration to implement it. Folks back home rely on air traffic every day ever air travel and are feeling strained from near misses and disruptions during the recent uh shutdown.
▶ 1:34:33The progress being made throughout the year and airports small large and small are encouraging. We need assurances the momentum is accelerating not stalling. The 500 million we directed specifically for runway safety tech lighting surve um uh surveillance and the rec reconciliation bill represents a serious commitment. We're equipping the FAA to reinforce the gold standards we should expect from ourselves.
▶ 1:34:59Uh now is is is now it's time for results to prevent other another heartbreak uh from the American American families. U administrator Bareford, uh this is your first time testifying before. I'm interested in your assessment. How are you ensuring that these tools are being deployed effectively addressing the NTCB recommendations from a PTOIC incident and integrating lessons learned across mixed traffic airports everywhere?
▶ 1:35:25Well, thank you for the question, Congressman Owens. Um, I think it's one of the worstkept secrets in government that the facilities that the FAA operates in today are grossly archaic, obsolete, and relatively unsustainable. Of the $4 billion a year that Congress generously gives the FAA to quote modernize its systems, over almost 90% certainly over 85% of that budget goes simply to sustainment. Uh, literally we're putting, you know, lipstick on a pig.
▶ 1:35:53So I was in I spent my first 100 days on board out in the field talking to our frontline workforce seeing the facilities firsthand literally from New Jersey all the way out to Quinn Hut, Alaska, a mile off the Bearing Sea. We have work to do, important work, hard work. It's going to take investment to get it done. I was in Chicago um I don't know maybe a month ago. We have multiple ADX surface runway radars there. only one of them was functioning
▶ 1:36:22and it was one broken part away from being unusable. That's not acceptable. So the allocation of funds in one big beautiful bill to improve our surface runway awareness technology you can rest assured we are deploying that we are investing that money and we are going to deploy that technology just as soon as the supply chain will allow.
▶ 1:36:42Thank you for that. Uh we appreciate the recent efforts to address our workforce needs across aviation sector particularly the air uh traffic control. Uh while of the focus to date has been on bringing on new frontline controllers into the system, there have been limited discussions that we've heard so far about strengthening the pipeline of our air traffic supervisors and managers. Uh with so many of experienced leaders approaching retirement.
▶ 1:37:06Uh can you share with us any plans the FAA has and regarding addressing the workforce pipeline needs of the Air Force supervisors and managers?
▶ 1:37:14Well, so we're blessed to have a wonderful resource in Oklahoma City. You know, our campus, our academy campus out there is doing great work for us, but we can't allow it to be a bottleneck. Uh we do need to increase the number of pipelines that are coming through to produce air traffic controllers. We now are up to nine. We've added five collegiate programs.
▶ 1:37:35we need to do more and as we add those collegiate programs we create you know feeder streams of potential uh new controllers that can go both to the uh contract tower program as well as to our federal towers. So we are doing that. But I will tell you one of the first things that we we spent doing is understanding as an agency how to think about big projects, how to think about the work that we do.
▶ 1:37:59And we implemented a process called theory of constraints uh with the entire leadership team where we're looking for those critical bottlenecks and ways that we can alleviate them and improve the throughput. And that's really everybody's focused on the input, but what we really need to focus on is the output. How would how are we getting more people, qualified people through training quicker and deployed in ways that are productive versus counterproductive. So there is a lot of there are many bottlenecks in the system.
▶ 1:38:29I promise you over the course of 2026, we're going to do our best to resolve those bottlenecks.
▶ 1:38:35Well, for those of us who are entre entrepreneur minded, thank you for innovation. Thank you for thinking outside the box. is so well needed here in this particular space and Americans are going to really appreciate as we see that. I just want to close by in uh extending a personal invitation for you to to v visit the Salt Lake City airport premier one of the premier airports in the in the country the gateway of the west and we talked a little bit before if you're into skiing uh it's snow time in Utah so we'd love to have you come out and visit with us. Okay.
▶ 1:39:04Thank you for the invitation.
▶ 1:39:05Thank you. And I yield back.
▶ 1:39:06Thank you. The gentleman yields and now recognize Miss Fosi for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Administrator Brett, for being with us today. It has been made tragically clear that the FAA is facing a dire shortage of air traffic controllers. It's been widely reported that more than 90% of US airport towers are understaffed.
▶ 1:39:30Furthermore, the chaos of air travel during the recent government shutdown showed us just how important robust air traffic control staffing is. In my conversations with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, they have expressed their difficulty in getting updates on FAA staffing levels from either the FAA or the administration.
▶ 1:39:56They emphasize to me that they can't know where they are in achieving full staffing without regular updates. Can you commit to us today to provide a timely update to us on FAA staffing levels?
▶ 1:40:13Well, thank you for that question. A couple of things here. First, uh Nick Daniels, the president of Naka, has my personal number. So if he's needs information, I am available to him um and the rest of the team at NATKA. So I think we've got a good relationship. I'd like to see that continue. More collaboration will be better. We have some serious issues that we need to address within our collective bargaining agreement.
▶ 1:40:40Things that they I think want to address in terms of pay and benefits and things that we need to address in terms of staffing efficiencies and training. So there's a lot of work to do there. There's no magic fix for the challenges that we face on controller staffing. Uh so we need to be intelligent about how we go about it. We need to be collaborative about how we go about it. But certainly it's going to require a strong partnership between ourselves and the union to get it done.
▶ 1:41:05Thank you for that. Additionally, I have heard from pilots that the infrastructure in some control towers is so outdated and poorly functioning that they have had to call the air traffic controllers on a mobile phone from their tarmac for instruction.
▶ 1:41:23In what ways is the FAA investigating or investing rather in modernizing nationwide air traffic control technology and infrastructure to ensure the safety of those on the ground and in the air?
▶ 1:41:40Well, again, thank you for that. That in a nutshell is why I took the job. This gets to the heart of how we ended up with an accident like 5342. Infrastructurees inadequate. The systems are based on 1990s technology. And I don't mean just the phone system or the data system, just the architecture of the system that we have. It's woefully inadequate for the needs of the 21st century.
▶ 1:42:05We have a great plan to modernize and I'd be happy to get into as much detail on that as you'd like in terms of where we're at with Telkom digital to analog, sorry, analog to digital conversions, getting deployment of the technology in the field. But even after we fully utilize this initial 12.5 billion dollar down payment, there are still going to be fundamental problems with the architecture of the system that need to be addressed in this second level of funding.
▶ 1:42:32So the future, if we were to stop, would be a more reliable but still inefficient national airspace system. If we want both exceptional reliability and exceptional efficiency and safety, we need that next trunch of investment to get that done.
▶ 1:42:51Um, agreed. And finally, Administrator Bedford, can you explain to us the heightened risks pilots, cabin crew, and passengers are exposed to when air traffic control towers are not sufficiently staffed?
▶ 1:43:07Well, thank you for the question. And I know it sounds unnerving that there could be a situation where we don't have adequate staff or the technology is malfunctioned in a way that we lose contact with uh aircraft in the air. But there are numerous redundancies. We have numerous systems. So a tower is also supported by a Treycon generally. And so there is surveillance and there still are ways to communicate with towers. And even if we lose two or three levels of redundancy, crews are well trained to deal with these circumstances.
▶ 1:43:36So I don't feel we have a safety issue with that. But again, we don't want to fall ourselves leaning into the second third level of redundancy in order to maintain safety. Those those should be very infrequent if ever used backups.
▶ 1:43:51Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
▶ 1:43:53Gentle lady yields. And now recognize Mr. McDow.
▶ 1:43:56Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you uh Administrator Bedford for being with us today. Um I you know we've we've discussed that staffing shortages are an issue and and while the exact number is um debated you know there's as many um as as 90% uh underst staffing at at towers and um so I want to know um or at least I want to talk a little bit about unmanned um
▶ 1:44:27air traffic control towers um or different technology that has has come along that we could potentially work with. And so as as you know only around a tenth of public airports have towers and even with FAA approval they cost millions of dollars and uh require a substantial amount of time to actually build.
▶ 1:44:51Uh but digital and remote towers are are being discussed as um possible remedies to modernizing and improving the safety of the national airspace system. And the most recent FAA reauthorization bill directed the FAA to expand design approval and evaluation for digital and remote towers to no fewer than three airports.
▶ 1:45:19The budget reconciliation bill that the president signed into law in July included $50 million for the deployment of remote tower technology. So my question is how will the FAA decide which airports to approve for remote
▶ 1:45:38Well, thank you for your question, sir. I was at our tech agent our our tech center in uh New Jersey uh week before last uh looking at the progress that we're making in terms of certifying this technology and preparing to deploy it. You may or may not be aware that we actually have this system uh being installed in Barto, Florida and a second system getting ready to deploy in Winter Haven, Florida. And we're allowing them to sort of utilize this in a shadow mode as we continue to refine our certification program.
▶ 1:46:07So, uh, we have identified three, uh, deployments. I'm not at liberty to say where those are at today. Um, we do have a process by which the FAA through their sort of they have a both a a facility condition index program. I'm not going to tell you that science I've signed off on, but they do have it. And they also use a similar tool for how they would want to deploy these in order to look at a, you know, the correct circumstances.
▶ 1:46:36So the initial deployments will be on single runways for example as opposed to crossing runways or parallel runways. So this is going to be a sort of crawl, walk, run process as we deploy and learn to make sure that we're not jeopardizing safety, but the technologies actually pretty amazing. I'm excited about our ability to add that layer of safety and use it in ways that will supplement existing towers.
▶ 1:46:59So could you see the digital remote towers as being at least a partial remedy uh to the controller shortage?
▶ 1:47:08So a digital remote tower won't reduce our workload per se. What it will do perhaps is maybe allow us to have workers in a place they want to be and where it makes retention uh and sustainment of the workforce a little bit easier than perhaps deploying less desirable places.
▶ 1:47:29Sure. Um well I I would hope that we could work on that together uh as it becomes the technology that that we begin to use.
▶ 1:47:37We're going to deploy it in 2026.
▶ 1:47:39Great. Well, I look forward to watching. Um, I'd like to yield the remainder of my time back to Chairman
▶ 1:47:44Nelson. Thank you, Mr. Bedford. I've heard, you know, Mr. Johnson said 31 billion. I don't think I think you got
▶ 1:47:4831 and a half.
▶ 1:47:49Yeah, you got uh 12.5 the down payment. Uh, and and we keep hearing word, you know, another 20 billion. What is that number? And how important is this additional funding? I mean, you got to 12.5, right? And that's going to get us maybe to here, but will you need that additional money to to close the loop? I I mean what what can you can you educate this committee and tell this committee how important is that money to for this ATC modernization and the success?
▶ 1:48:18Well, thank you for the question, sir. It's it's critical. So, as I mentioned earlier, there's essentially four levels of what we really think of as modernization, both our telecom and our data. The first 12 a.5 billion provides for the first three phases. That's copper to fiber. That's um digital equipment equippage replacing analog equipage. And then that final move which Paraton will help with actually changing the architecture over from analog to digital.
▶ 1:48:47But it doesn't address essentially the compute layer of what we need today. All the compute layer for the FAA is in each individual facility. That's 350 facilities that have individual compute power and we have no ability to see across the NAS on what each of those 3 facil separate facilities are seeing. We need to lift that layer out of the facility and into the cloud. And that's what we've hired Paraton to help us
▶ 1:49:13and how much you think that will be how
▶ 1:49:15that process for that last leg of modernization is in part and parcel of that next $6 billion of funding.
▶ 1:49:23Would that would that be your priority then? You need the six.
▶ 1:49:27Look, I'm going to tell you, we need it all because the the other 14 is essentially the properties and facilities that each member of the House
▶ 1:49:35has a stake in the game on. They're woefully inadequate. They're archaic. We're wasting three and a half billion dollars a year to sustain it. We might as well just fix it.
▶ 1:49:44Got it. Thank you. Uh I now recognize Miss Pole.
▶ 1:49:50Thank you, Mr. chairman and uh our ranking member uh Carson. Uh first before I begin uh first of all, thank you Mr. uh Bedford for being here. Let me just express my condolences also to the families that lost their loved ones during that horrific horrible accident and crash that occurred in Washington. As you know, uh Mr. Bedford.
▶ 1:50:14I represent New Jersey, home to one of the most complex, congested, and consequential aviation corridors in our country. When aviation fails in New Jersey, it doesn't just inconvenience our residents, it actually impacts our entire national airspace. for Teter Boral and Norc uh airports.
▶ 1:50:40We are seeing chronic forced overtime, fatigue, and burnout of air traffic controllers. These shortages across one of the most congested airspaces in the world is a catastrophe waiting to happen. This includes partial shutdowns and regular ground ground delays lasting hours.
▶ 1:51:07We've we've even had airlines simply cancel flights because the system simply can can't absorb another stressor. So, it's no surprise that millions of Americans are beyond f frustrated with the state of flying in America.
▶ 1:51:26this just this past s um Sunday I was actually stuck on the termat for four hours to only have to be uh turned around again and I'll leave it there but the delays were just So meanwhile our department of transportation is focused on promoting airport gyms posting clips of exercise You can't
▶ 1:51:56just run away from critical shortage uh uh staffing shortage. You can't uh spin a abs obsolete radar systems. And you can't bench press away delays and cancellations.
▶ 1:52:14and a pull-up uh contest be uh between cabinet uh secretaries in an airport terminal doesn't help reduce congestion or increase safety. There is nothing more important than safety.
▶ 1:52:32Before the tragedy here in Washington in January, the US had not seen a major commercial aviation disaster since flight 3407 in 2009. As you know, 3407 departed from Newark and took the lives of 49 people when it crashed outside Buffalo. Some of my constituents lost family members that fateful evening.
▶ 1:53:02I believe that extraordinary record over 15 years without a major de uh domestic crash can be credited to Congress and the FAA implementing the 15-hour pilot experience requirement ensuring commercial pilots have the proficiency necessary to do the job safely. So, Mr.
▶ 1:53:27Bedford, during your confirmation, you did not commit to supporting the current 15-hour 1500 hour rule. Since starting, I want to know if you have seen the benefit of this watershed rule. Can airline passengers rest easier knowing that FAA will continue to uphold this vital standard or is the agency taking any action to weaken this uh standard? Thank you for your question, ma'am.
▶ 1:53:57Um, delays and cancellations, yep, there are a lot of them, more than we want to see. The FAA does not own all of those delays and cancellations, but we can do better. We can do our part to not only improve the quality of the service and the reliability of service, but certainly the safety standard of the service. So again, I want to offer a sincere thank you to you and to your colleagues in the House for passing the $12.5 billion It's unfortunate. It's beyond unfortunate.
▶ 1:54:27It's tragic that the that the focus that we have today, the attention and our sort of unified, galvanized effort to modernize was paid for in the with the lives of 67 Americans. It's unfortunate, but that sacrifice can't go to waste. We have to deliver for them and for the rest of the American people on modernizing. So sniping on, you know, pull-ups and civility and whatnot.
▶ 1:54:54You know, not constructive, but I can talk to you for sure about what we're doing to invest the 12.5 billion dollars to build a system of the future. But let me be clear, the 12.5 billion won't get it done. We'll have a more reliable system, but still an antiquated system. More needs to be done. I'm willing to partner with you to get that done. Thank you, Mr. um Bedford.
▶ 1:55:16Let me just say that I s strongly believe that the FAA must continue to support the 15-hour rule as a critical safeguard for airline safety. Until such time, we have a better system and there has not been any other system proven to be safer. So, it's a vitally important. Thank you for that. Um Mr. Speaker, I yield back.
▶ 1:55:39Couldn't agree more. 1,500 hours and raise the H. Uh, Miss King Hines, you're
▶ 1:55:46Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and uh, thank you, administer administrator Bedford, for appearing before committee and giving us your time. I represent the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the closest mainland airport from Saipan, which is our main hub, is over 6,000 miles away. And I share that um, to underscore that there is no alternative mode of transportation. And that you know for us aviation is not convenience it is our literal lifeline.
▶ 1:56:15And so in every medical evacuation, every shipment of food, every student leaving for college, every tourist who supports our economy and every service member rotating through the Pacific depends on a single fragile aviation system. So when flights are cut, delayed or grounded, there is no black backup plan unless you know how to swim. Very joke.
▶ 1:56:38Um, that's why one-sizefits-all policies, right, that may work here on the mainland just does not work out in the territories. And I'll give you an example. By America requirements, for example, while very well-intentioned and appreciated, can halt critical airport projects and places like ours where compliant materials are simply unavailable, shipping costs are extreme, and project delays translate into real safety and economic risk.
▶ 1:57:05Um and our ports authority has formally requested a waiver not to bypass standards but basically to keep our uh airports functional. I've also recently introduced HR6448 the territorial airport support act because the current oneizefitsall framework does not reflect geographic isolation limited carrier competition or the national security role that the Marianas place in the Pacific.
▶ 1:57:33So today I want to have a conversation about practable solutions and how we can work together to maintain safety and accountability while recognizing the unique realities of places uh that suffer from the tyranny of distance like the Marianas.
▶ 1:57:51And so um my question to you uh administrator Bford is you know the port's authority as stated has requested a byame waiver because compliant materi are often unavailable or just prohibitively expensive. What flexibility does the FAA have to grant project specific or geographic waiverss for territories like ours so that we can move on with these projects?
▶ 1:58:17Well, thank you for your question and I'm going to confess a little ignorance here. I don't know that that by America issue is in my purview and in the FAA wheelhouse or not. I'll certainly take that back to the secretary and and to the administration. I will tell you in my first 100 days on board with the FAA, I made a dedicated effort to get out into the field, you know, to to visit with our frontline workforce, understand the challenges that they're facing, and also to understand the state of our equipment, our facilities, and our technology.
▶ 1:58:46Um, in Alaska, I learned that the system that we use to monitor air traffic and manage traffic is different than the system that we use in the continental United States. And the same is true for Hawaii, Guam, your neck of the woods, Puerto Rico. Um, so if you can imagine a state of air traffic that's actually more obsolete than what we're utilizing in the continental United States, it's where you live.
▶ 1:59:12And so here's an early opportunity I think rather than try to bring up our non-CONS facilities to our current older state of technology to leapfrog. I think your your neck of the woods could turn out to be a great testing opportunity for us to bring in truly usher in the new most modernized now. So trust me when I tell you we're focused on where you're at and how we can meet those needs.
▶ 1:59:35And I and I thank you for that comment and I encourage you to please come out and visit the northern Mariana Islands because you know uh we've recently well back in 2018 we were hit by a super typhoon that destroyed our airport uh traffic control tower right and because of of some of these one-sizefits-all policies and requirements uh to be able to meet federal standard specs. These projects are being delayed and it's taking some time to just get that air traffic control tower back and operational. I'm going to run out of time.
▶ 2:00:03So, I just um wanted to focus on uh my my bill HR6448, which basically asks for um some sort of a moratorum or uh uh reduce in rate with regards to the AIP, you know, AIP matching requirements. Um we have one industry which is tourism and it has not recovered since the pandemic and the ports are barely sustaining itself.
▶ 2:00:30And so I I hope I know that you're not supposed to be able to speak on these bills that are introduced before the before the floor, but I'm hoping that we could get some sort of support because we need our ports to be economically self- sustainable. Thank you for your time and I encourage you to please come and visit the Northern
▶ 2:00:49Thank you for the invitation.
▶ 2:00:51I gentle lady yields. I now recognize Miss Gillan.
▶ 2:00:55Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, ranking member, and thank you, Administrator Bedford, for testifying. uh before us today and my deepest sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones who are here with us today. And um administrator really your the timing of your visit is auspicious because today in fact is the 65th anniversary of what was at the time the deadliest crash in the history of commercial aviation.
▶ 2:01:22On December 16th in 1960, TWWA flight 266 collided with United Airlines flight 826 over New York, leaving 134 people dead. And in those were 13 of those were Long Islanders, which is the area that I represent.
▶ 2:01:40And this tragedy, after a decade of smaller crashes, is what prompted the FAA to adopt safety reforms, including speed restrictions and the requirement of new technology on commercial aircraft and the issuance of new communications guidelines. And on this painful anniversary and seeing the families here today and the faces on this poster the lady in the front row has of all the faces who we lost, we know that there's still so much more that we need to do.
▶ 2:02:08Um, as I said, I represent New York's fourth congressional district on the southshore of Long Island. And it is home to Treycon N90, which is uh the the oversight provides the [clears throat] oversight for the most complex commercial um aviation space and congested airspace in the country. And I'm very glad that the administration is devoting more resources to fix our totally out-of-date system.
▶ 2:02:31Um, but I visited this facility and saw the technology that they are using to oversee the air traffic going into Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and it used to be New York New York airport. We'll get to that. Um, and there were literally some floppy discs there. I mean, I think every single person here can agree that nobody should be using floppy discs anymore.
▶ 2:02:52So I when Secretary Duffy appeared before this uh committee or the larger TNI committee, I asked him to come visit Treycon N90 to see what is going on in that space. Um and he agreed to visit. We're trying to schedule that. I would encourage you and ask you if you would um consider coming to visit too because this is an extremely important facility in terms of our national airspace because even flights going somewhere else sometimes usually dock for a while in New York before they go on someplace else.
▶ 2:03:20So would you u consider coming with us to Trion N90?
▶ 2:03:24I've actually had two visits scheduled. Oh, fabulous. Unfortunately, my schedule was changed and I wasn't able to do it, but yes, I need to get to N90 for sure.
▶ 2:03:32Excellent. Thank you. And um can you assure me that the administration will prioritize funding for N90 from the 12.5 billion that the administration has invested so far? So you're you're asking a great question whether you realize it or not in terms of how we prioritize deployment of new technologies.
▶ 2:03:52Uh earlier I mentioned as with relation to digital towers we take sort of a crawl walk run process and I understand that you know we want to make sure technologies are failafe before we deploy them in our largest facilities but that can be a very lengthy time frame to work through that and some of these technologies are frankly game changers for us and we need to
▶ 2:04:14we need to have a line of sight on how we can get them into our top 40 traffic markets. So, you know, there's work going on in terms of how we can think about deployment and speeding these tools to market. We're going to need partnership with NACKA get to get that done because sometimes, you know, there's a little resistance.
▶ 2:04:30On the workforce, you know, teaching the old guys like me, you know, new skills. It's hard. It's uncomfortable, but we need to get it done.
▶ 2:04:37Well, I talked to the folks from Natka often, and I'm sure that we could have a broader discussion and um would love to be there when you visit N90 so we can have you can see what's there and see what's needed. So, we'll reach out to your staff. My team's going to take that
▶ 2:04:50Okay. Um, so again, I I spoke earlier about overseeing the most congested airspace. Um, unfortunately, in the prior administration, um, there was a decision made that they would take some of the air traffic controllers um, that oversee Newark airport and move them to a remote location in Philadelphia instead of keeping them with the air traffic controllers who oversee Kennedy and LaGuardia. All of these planes are traveling in the same nexus, in the same area.
▶ 2:05:18Um, there was a big outcry by NAKa and by the folks who work there talking about the risk to safety that this would pose if you have these New York controllers down in Philadelphia. Um, when I was there, they were there there's still literally a space in the facility for the New York people to come back. And over the summer we saw twice Newark lost all communications with air traffic for 90 seconds which could be fatal.
▶ 2:05:47Um the controllers in N90 told me if they had lost communication they could have reached over and said to the people who oversee New York airspace Kennedy and LaGuardia and said what do you see? What's going on? And they could communicate instead of having to pick up the phone and lose vital seconds that could save lives. Um, I've asked Secretary Duffy to consider moving those controllers back. I believe he would have the support of the union in doing that. I believe it would make our skies safer.
▶ 2:06:14Um, I was very grateful that after we had that conversation, the Department of Transportation um, Inspector General caused launched an investigation and Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter this into the record. Um, and I would encourage you to continue that discussion of moving those controllers back because I think it will make our skies safer. Yep. Without objection, Mr. Knaut, you're recognized for five minutes. Thank you.
▶ 2:06:39Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Bedford, thank you for being here. I do just as on as a broad level, I I'm a little bit troubled that in this town, it seems like more funding is always the answer, right? And you know, we're $38 trillion in debt. That'll soon hit $39 trillion of debt. And there's no attention given to the process, to the bureaucracy, to the lack of accountability for obviously the waste that we all know exists.
▶ 2:07:08And in your opinion, sir, in terms of the outdated technology that is obvious, we just heard my colleague talk about the use of floppy discs. I don't even know where you buy floppy discs. We've heard obviously a lot of testimony about the burdensome procurement uh processes that are in place. Certainly the centralized air traffic controller education and recruitment process.
▶ 2:07:32What can we do to in some ways cut the leashes off of the uh the administration, your department? How how can we help you sort of make things more efficient on a broad level?
▶ 2:07:46Well, thank you sir for that question. $ 38 trillion in debt, $2 trillion a year budget.
▶ 2:07:54We have to be responsible to the taxpayers for the money that you give us. You know, we have to be good stewards of those resources. In fact, you know, we're rolling out new guiding principles, what we call our best principles. And the B stands for be good stewards of our resources. We're all taxpayers, so we want to make sure this investment, and that's what it is. This 12 and a half billion you've given us gets to where it needs to be the most effective.
▶ 2:08:17I will tell you we're investing whether you I don't think it's an investment but we're spending almost $4 billion dollar a year just to again put perfume on the pig just to keep things running. So
▶ 2:08:29that's my question. How can we help what what what can we get out of your way so that you can employ professionals to identify those problems and fix them? I mean that's outrageous. That's an outrageous lapse.
▶ 2:08:41On every level.
▶ 2:08:42You have provided those tools. You have provided the administrator unique statutory authorities to procure things outside of the federal bureaucracy. When I onboarded in July, I was handed a book, a 658 page procurement document for how we would roll out one big beautiful bill. I threw it away. We started over. Think slow. Identify the end state. Then figure out how we're going to get from here to there.
▶ 2:09:10These are not normal government processes, but in industry, this is how we get stuff done quickly and we get it done on budget. And that's the pro program that we're running, you know, for the 12.5 billion. So, I can sit here and confidently tell you the taxpayers will get an an incredible return on their invested capital here. But it's not the end state we want.
▶ 2:09:31That next trunch of funding is going to transform, I don't use that word lightly, will transform our national airspace and make it the envy of the world.
▶ 2:09:42Well, we built the envy of the world without a centralized bureaucracy. And it seems from where I sit, sir, that sort of the bureaucratic systems that were written and implemented to prevent failure have all but enshrined failure. When you're still using floppy discs, that makes everybody less safe. That makes the agency less effective. And if there's something that we can do from a legislative standpoint to give you the freedom, the flexibility, I hope you'll let us know um quickly so that we can continue to work together.
▶ 2:10:11Again, sir, I think I have it. You just have to continue to encourage me to use it. Uh and I I promise you we are using that authority. Now, it's uncomfortable
▶ 2:10:20for the bureaucracy. Some of them will leave. There will be turnover associated with that as we turn these processes on their head, but it's it's helpful.
▶ 2:10:29Good. And just for your knowledge, sir, we I'm working with colleagues across the aisle to introduce a bill called the Aviation Supply Chain Safety and Security uh digitization act of 2025. It commisss a study so that we can go through the procurement procedures to really uh digitize to remove the paper the papering of that process. I look forward to your participation as that study is commenced and again I look forward to working with you.
▶ 2:10:55I welcome it, sir. Thank you.
▶ 2:10:56Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
▶ 2:10:58Gentleman yields. I now recognize Miss Norton. Five minutes.
▶ 2:11:07I strongly oppose 373 in the defense authorization bill the Senate is expected to send to the president this week. This provision would allow helicopters flying in certain air spaces, including near DCA, to have their ATSB turned off.
▶ 2:11:37Earlier this year, I wrote a letter to the FAA demanding that all flying near DCA be required to use their I have yet to receive a response. Mr. Bedford.
▶ 2:11:56Does the FAA support requiring all helicopters in the airspace near DCA other than those transporting the president and the vice president or those in use during a national emergency to broadcast their position using uh out? Thank you for that question, madam.
▶ 2:12:27It's not customary for the agency to take a position on pending legislation. It is customary, however, when legislation is working through the process that staff or members will seek the FAA's consulting authority. So, a technical consultation or a technical advisory. I can tell you as it relates to section 373, that did not happen. the FAA was not consulted with or no no advisory or consultation was requested.
▶ 2:12:56So we didn't see section 373 until last week. Having said all that, I want to assure you the members of the committee, the families of 5342, that we are not going to go back to the way the Capitol region airspace was managed prior to January 29th. all the mitigation that has been put in place to separate mixed traffic, closing helicopter routes, eliminating virtual separations and separating non-transponding traffic and the rare happen stance.
▶ 2:13:26uh that will continue
▶ 2:13:31as co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus and the member who represents the District of Columbia, which is plagued by airplane and helicopter noise. I am pleased we were able to include provisions to combat aviation noise in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The FAA has not done enough to reduce and mitigate aviation noise.
▶ 2:14:02With this law, the FAA has a mandate to do more to combat aviation noise and engage more with the public on aviation noise. Mr. Bedford, does Mr.
▶ 2:14:20Bedford, what is the implementation status of the aviation noise provisions in last year's FAA reauthorization law, the air aircraft noise advisory
▶ 2:14:40Thank you for that question. I don't want to get over my skis here. you know, having been in the office for five months, my understanding is that the committee has been formed. Uh that the advisory response that we've gotten is being put into effect. I will say that noise is going to be a continued problem for us. I mean, there's demands to continue to expand aviation resources across the country, whether that's drones, advanced air mobility, soon the inclusion of potential supersonic.
▶ 2:15:11So we have natural conflicts in terms of the economy wanting to grow through airspace and the fact that people are moving closer and closer to airports. It creates some real challenges for us. I do think modernization gives us our best opportunity to mitigate noise. Let me explain.
▶ 2:15:28Today, when we're either short staffed or our technology can't keep up with the demands, we tend to put airplanes into longer miles and trail, which naturally means that they're flying at lower altitudes longer and at lower power settings over neighborhoods.
▶ 2:15:43In a modernized system, we can actually find a precise point in time where that airplane at altitude will hit its arrival gate and it can descend on a low power off or power idle descent, significantly reducing noise and also minimizing the amount of time and space they are over local neighborhoods.
▶ 2:16:02So, I think modernization in and of itself will help us significantly reduce or abate noise, but it's always going to be a challenge, and I'm sure we're never going to be able to completely measure up to uh community's expectations for noise mitigation.
▶ 2:16:19Gentle lady yields and now recognize Mr.
▶ 2:16:23Thank you, chairman. Thank you, administrator, for being here. You you know that we have the greatest we still have the greatest aviation system in the world. But we also know the truth. Other nations are advancing rapidly, modernizing faster, deploying faster, using new technology faster, and it demands our attention. And I know you're on it. The United States of America must not, we cannot, we will not fail. And I know you're on that as well.
▶ 2:16:50And that's why Congress, as you know, is very clear in the FAA reauthorization act, something that many of us, a few of us were deeply involved with of 2024. The FAA must not only maintain safety, but has to be responsible for rapidly integrating new aircraft, new systems, new ideas, new technologies, all the things you've been talking about all morning. And it's got to be done.
▶ 2:17:15Passing the FAA bill was important, but it's a strong start, but it's not enough, and we need further implementation and strong oversight from you. And again, section 206 of this bill created the airspace modernization office to cut through red tape, to deliver results, and provide a clear framework to move beyond years of delay that we did have under what was a great promise, NextGen.
▶ 2:17:44So the question I have for you to begin with is when will the airspace modernization office be formally announced and when will it be fully
▶ 2:17:54Well, thank you for the question, sir. And uh I want to give a shout out to a fellow by the name of Neil Cohen. I was able to convince Secretary Duffy to actually hire Neil before I actually went through my confirmation hearing. He's one of the smartest humans I've ever worked with, one of the best strategic thinkers, and he has embedded himself in and he is the current acting uh lead of the Office of Modernization.
▶ 2:18:19So, he's been on board since April of this year, and he is transforming how we go about the process of unlocking the potential for
▶ 2:18:28When do you think we'll see some t something that's tangible for folks like
▶ 2:18:32Say again, sir. When will we see something that is tangible that we can put our arms around for folks like us, Congress and
▶ 2:18:40you can see it right now. So, uh, come with me to the tech center. I'll show you how we've already started the deployment of digital radios and digital voice switches. I'll show you the architecture for how we're going to move from an analog NAS to a digital NAS. And I can walk you through the fact that we've already converted over 36% of the copper to fiber and our deployment plan for the next two weeks.
▶ 2:19:01We will do it. We will do it. But I look forward to it. Um, and this kind of leads into my next question. U, the William J. Hughes Technical Center in my district, as you know, I talk about it all the time for advanced aerospace. Uh, where do you see them? It's uniquely positioned to test. They have the expertise. They have the people. They have the location. Where do you see them in this whole picture?
▶ 2:19:27I was there last week. It is a wonderful resource for the country. You didn't tell me.
▶ 2:19:32I'm sorry. Yes. Um, great.
▶ 2:19:35You hurt my feelings.
▶ 2:19:36Great there.
▶ 2:19:38I apologize. I'm going to We're get I'm going back. So, uh, but the point of being out there last week was to sort of finish our inventory on what was left in the on the NextGen shelf. Uh, and look, I want to send a shout out to the NextG team. I think we did a bad job as the FAA communicating what NextGen was doing. We didn't provide the transparency that the committee needed to do the oversight to understand what it was about. But just in a if if I can take 30 seconds, the FAA's innovation cycle runs the same path as Boeing.
▶ 2:20:08We're innovating on a 15 to 20 year timeline. And that's sort of what NextG was doing. We need to innovate at the speed of iPads, right? We need to go at the speed of Apple. Uh so that is the change that we're communicating to our team at the uh tech center.
▶ 2:20:23Good. I think they're on board with the mission. We just have to unlock it.
▶ 2:20:27Is the emerging technology accelerator a priority for you as administrator? Uh are you going to be working with Congress in the next budget cycle to see if this can operate at the scale that in which it was intended?
▶ 2:20:42I apologize. I'm having a terrible too much jet engine noise in my career.
▶ 2:20:46No problem. Either that or I'm not speaking well. Enunciate. Right.
▶ 2:20:51You're doing fine. Is the emergency technology accelerator a priority for you? And do you need think you'll need to work with Congress in the next budget cycle on that issue?
▶ 2:21:02Uh, honestly, rather than hiphoot that, I'm going to take that one back and get more conversant on it. I'd be happy to refer back to you.
▶ 2:21:09It's an important piece as well. So, I appreciate you. I wish you well. Um, a lot of good things going on at the tech center. I look forward to working with you there. I've been deeply involved with that. as you know, I think was one of the very first stops even Secretary Duffy took was I kind of elbowed him into coming in down to South Jersey and let them know that they were okay. So, I appreciate your work.
▶ 2:21:31It is a tremendous resource and I look forward to working with you.
▶ 2:21:35Thank you.
▶ 2:21:35Thank you. I yield back. Chairman,
▶ 2:21:37everybody Jeff, everybody loves Jeff.
▶ 2:21:40That's not chairman. Everybody loves you. We are we going to miss the chairman or what?
▶ 2:21:44I mean, I can't believe this guy. He's my buddy and he's retiring from
▶ 2:21:48You're great. I recognize Mr. Garcia.
▶ 2:21:51Thank you, uh, chairman and ranking member. And thank you, Mr. Bedford, for being here today. From the deadly collision over DCA, uh, nearly a year ago to our air traffic controllers feeling the squeeze of the longest government shutdown in history, our national airspace system has been under considerable strain. I look forward to working with the FAA to hold our aviation community to a higher standard of safety.
▶ 2:22:18In that spirit, my first uh question focuses on aircraft minimum crew standards. Earlier this year, the FAA approved American Airlines request to operate its new Boeing 787 uh 9P with the minimum crew of just seven flight attendants. This means that not all exit doors will be staffed by the flight attendants to evacuate this widebody aircraft in case of an emergency.
▶ 2:22:47A single flight attendant would be left to evacuate hundreds uh of passengers through two emergency exits on opposite sides of a widebody aircraft. The basis of aviation safety is redundancy. Yet unmanned emergency door exits undermine this critical concept and could result in panicked passengers operating a door in dangerous conditions.
▶ 2:23:13Section 365 of the FAA bill requires the FAA to reassess evacuation standards and how the FAA develops them. Mr. Bedford. As part of that assessment, is the FAA evaluating the new the crew to exit door ratio on widebody aircraft and whether too few members can impact evacuation
▶ 2:23:38Well, thank you for your question, sir. I want to be careful because I haven't studied this issue in detail, so I don't want to misinform you or the committee. I am aware uh of the requirement to redesign or to address some of the deficiencies in a previous emergency evacuation study that was done.
▶ 2:23:56I'm aware that the National Academy of Science provided the FAA with certain elements of the study that they felt need to be corrected in order to have a better proof of concept on our emergency egress procedures. I believe the results of that study are now being incorporated into what would be another retest. if you will. I'm not exactly sure when that's going to get done, but I know the work is being done and it's important work.
▶ 2:24:22Um, we saw certainly through the emergency issues with the American break fire in Denver. Um, you know, difficulty getting folks off the airplane. I think that's as much educating the traveling public that they need to listen to our our flight attendants, the safety professionals on board that not to take their personal effects to have an orderly evacuation. So, I think we have work to do on public education. Well, well, thank you for that and I know that flight attendants and other workers are eager to continue the engagement.
▶ 2:24:50Next, I'd like to bring uh your attention to the workforce that keeps our airports running. Ramp workers, ticket agents, and food service workers play a critical role in our aviation system, but many of them earn poverty wages. That's why Senator Marky and I pushed for the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act in the FAA uh reauthorization process last time. This bill sought to ensure a living wage for this workforce.
▶ 2:25:15Although this bill was not included, section 438 of the FAA bill, a provision I helped lead, required the GAO to complete a review of the airport service uh workforce. Mr. Buffford, are you committed to doing what you can to ensure that airports and the FAA that the FAA overseas are delivering fair wages and benefits to all employees?
▶ 2:25:39Well, thank you for that question. Uh I'll I'll separate it into two responses. First of all, we are critically engaged on airport safety. Critically engaged on how traffic moves around and egresses through the airport, airport infrastructure, all things on the surface we're absolutely focused on and making sure both our frontline team and our air traffic controllers have the appropriate tools as well as our pilots have the appropriate tools to see traffic uh and avoid traffic.
▶ 2:26:10As it relates to the airport wage worker, of course I I support their rights to collective bargaining. I support their rights to advocate for themselves, but the FAA does not really have a it's not sort of in my lane here.
▶ 2:26:23Thank you. Um I want to raise a a report that was published in the New York Times where TSA is providing a list of multiple times a week to ICE of travelers who will be coming through airports. The program led to the arrest and deportation of Annie Lucia Lopez Veosa, a 19-year-old student at Babson College. She was deported despite a court order prohibiting the federal government from moving her out of the US.
▶ 2:26:48I understand that uh TSA doesn't fall under your purview, but uh this issue does involve airport facilities. So, I wanted to put it on your radar uh for further uh conversations with you. um your efforts uh in addressing this would be greatly appreciated.
▶ 2:27:05Well, I applaud the worker work that our TSA agents are doing on the front line to keep our screening safe. Um so appreciate what you have to say.
▶ 2:27:15Thank you. I yield back. Mr.
▶ 2:27:16Gentleman yields. I now recognize Mr.
▶ 2:27:19Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to the ranking member. Uh also, Administrator Bedford, thank you for being here. and also to the families. Thank you for advocating for safe air travel and for being here. Um, so I'm going to jump right into a few questions specifically to prevent uh future incidents like this from taking place uh relevant to the part 108 and the beyond visual line of sight. And perhaps maybe you can elaborate a little bit more.
▶ 2:27:48Um, as a helicopter pilot myself, uh, and us traditionally operating in and around utility, power line work, emergency evacuation helicopters, what will that look like and how far along in the process of the part 108 is the FAA?
▶ 2:28:06Well, thank you for your your comment. I think beyond visual line of sight, uh, our rule making there is close. Uh we're we've closed comments to the public. We received over 3,000 comments back from Generally favorable, I would say. There are concerns over right away that we're continuing to evaluate. We're going to have an industry stakeholder uh meeting early January or maybe late December. I'm not sure how my schedule's set up, but uh we want we want a collaboration.
▶ 2:28:35We want to make sure that we're getting the right rule making accomplished to unlock drone operations and drone safety. I will say we've designed a uh you know a drone sandbox that's strategically deconlicted from 99% of the airspace but there are these exceptions for agriculture for uh pipeline surveillance where we may see drone use and helicopter use uh in the same airspace. So that that still requires some additional thought process.
▶ 2:29:04Has there been any thought or analysis done around ADSB on the actual drones themselves or what will that look like? I'm trying to put myself into the the position of another helicopter pilot that may come into a situation where they are near an unmanned vehicle where you know you don't have the opportunity to speak on an air-to-air channel or to be able to communicate in and around various different airports. But what about broadcasting relevant to unmanned aerial vehicles?
▶ 2:29:34It's a great question, a very relevant question in the rulemaking process. Thank you for that obviously belies your experience as a as a helicopter pilot. So you can imagine having uh drones actually transpond becomes a challenge in terms of drone design weight and it obviously mitigates payload capability. So, you know, the the better course of action would appear to be to have the aircraft transpond.
▶ 2:30:00And right now, the the the rulemaking would require drones to be able to see ADSB out signals and avoid and detect detect and avoid the the traffic. So now it's a conversation of how do we talk to the you know the crop duster pilot, how do we talk to the helicopter pilot or how do we block perhaps hospitals you know geo deconlict them you know for helicopters moving in that space. How do we get them to broadcast as part of unlocking drone dominance?
▶ 2:30:30Well, I think that's a a great transition to my next question about how close are we to mandating ADSB and having it become mandatory for traditional aircraft.
▶ 2:30:43Well, thank you for the question. I want to be careful because we're not supposed to appine on pending legislation and that sounds very close to
▶ 2:30:49Well, let's go with your instincts.
▶ 2:30:50The Rotor Act, uh, as a pilot, uh, I love it. Right. As a pilot, I think we want more situational awareness, not less. More information is always better. As a private pilot, as a recreational pilot, I do have concerns about the cost. If we use traditional FAA methods and say it has to be embedded on an airplane, you know, I'm not going to want to buy a $50,000 upgrade for my, you know, Cessna 172.
▶ 2:31:15But if I can get an ADSB out like device, one with equivalent capability, a portable device I can buy for 99 bucks,
▶ 2:31:25uh, I'm in I'm encouraged. Now there's a second issue on privacy that we need to address. I think a lot of private pilots really don't want their ADSB information taken and published. So but I think all of those issues we can address to the entire aviation users uh desire. Uh and that would be the end state as a pilot I would like to see without commenting as my position as FA administrator.
▶ 2:31:47Well I certainly appreciate the commentary on the privacy as someone that does fly and who does broadcast his location. um it certainly becomes a safety sensitive situation. Um also relevant to privacy. I'm going to I have 20 seconds left, but I want to talk about and commend uh the FAA for uh bridging the gap on workforce shortages relevant to uh controllers.
▶ 2:32:09Um, and I've heard from colleges in my district, including Lacawana College, Community College, uh, Luzar County Community College, about wanting to expand, uh, the program for the enhanced air traffic collegiate training initiative and would love to work with the FAA and our office about looking to bring those programs into northeastern Pennsylvania. It'
▶ 2:32:26be a pleasure.
▶ 2:32:27Thank you. I yield.
▶ 2:32:28Gentleman yields. And I'll recognize Mr.
▶ 2:32:31Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, thank you for your testimony today and the challenges you have professionally and what my questions were. How do we measure the success of what this committee's done and your deployment of that? Um, and I've heard a lot of good things here today, but also have some concerns.
▶ 2:32:48I entered this when there was a near miss 11 years ago at SFO where we came 54 feet with a with an aircraft with a Air Canada flight landing on three loaded uh planes on a taxi way and they didn't read the notice to airmen and the whole series. So the first performance standards is how are we doing on near misses?
▶ 2:33:12So when we started this process and reauthorization and what I'm looking here for is simple measurements and then I'll have follow-up question about how we can get in more details. So on simple measurements we you had a report card on how you're doing in deploying the directions and the assets we gave you um how are you doing and start with near misses. Are we do we see any success in fewer of those?
▶ 2:33:36Well, thank you for those questions. Um the first one if if you don't mind you asked maybe the most relevant question for today which is how do we measure
▶ 2:33:48that's such a critical critical question that we the FAA I'll tell you we still struggle with it we can look at objective things in terms of we've deployed you know 30% of the remove 30% of 36% of the copper is now fiber uh we've deployed our first digital switches and voice switches you and we're going to close a radar acquisition before the end of the year and and we have a two and a half year time frame on how we'll deploy that.
▶ 2:34:16So I could give you a lot of those objective measures of success, but the real measure of success is are we actually making the NAS safer, right? So, and we're we're studying ways that we can objectively provide evidence that our modernization efforts are paying fruit in terms of uh increasing the safety and efficiency of the nest. So, again, great question. Love to talk more about it with you. You asked specifically about near misses.
▶ 2:34:43Uh, one of the data points that we saw during the lapse was an increase in near misses and and we also saw an increase in surface incursions which is why we took action to de decon well to sort of reduce the workload of our controllers by reducing capacity reducing system demand in real time. That was a recognition of the risk that we saw. We monitor we have dashboards now.
▶ 2:35:11uh something uh I mentioned a fellow by the name of Neil Cohen. You know, he also created this these same measurements and dashboards that are now front and center of the FAA's weekly management meetings. So, we're looking at the dashboards and looking at our progress on surface runway incursions on on near misses and uh TCAST resolution advisory. So, I will tell you the trend was going down until the lapse, but unfortunately [clears throat] it has taken a turn in the the wrong direction.
▶ 2:35:39Mr. Mr. Chairman, I'd love to work with you and our group just to get sort of a report card on simple easy to measure.
▶ 2:35:47I have it. I'll be happy to share it with you.
▶ 2:35:48All right. And then the more detail, we have over 30 priorities that our office uh were were able to work work with stakeholders, but particularly the workforce and retired workforce members, pilots, air traffic controllers. Um we submitted questions prior to this hearing to see where we were on each of those. we got a response, but it was uh you'd have to have a PhD in aviation engineering and I don't have the staff or the mental capacity.
▶ 2:36:14So, I'd love to work with you on that to sort of help us understand uh things like human factors that the chairman brought up that has been a particular interest to me uh across the board uh and in particular in the procurement process and we deal with this in multiple levels of government. uh technology is not matched to the human factors whether it's the pilots, the air traffic controllers, the machinists.
▶ 2:36:40So how we're working on that, we go with the lowest best bid across government, state and federal level, but it doesn't really deal with the deployment and the necessary training uh with this new technology. And it was quite obvious in the root cause analysis at the incident at SFO where the the pilots and the air traffic controllers had technology but they had never been trained fully uh under the circumstances to un to understand it and deploy it.
▶ 2:37:08So I wonder if you could respond to that, how you're dealing with that part of getting the workforce up, but getting them trained in par with the the the technology and having the technology companies as part of the procurement pay for that training or fair share of the training.
▶ 2:37:25Well, thank you for the question. Um, we have just published, believe it yesterday, our road map, our flight plan for 2026 that we've sent to the front line. It outlines three key pillars for how we'll have success in 2026. The first pillar is people. Again, making sure we're hiring the best people, giving them the best training, and giving them the best tools, and achieving the best results.
▶ 2:37:54That sounds simple, maybe cliche even, but we have a roadmap of 20 different deliverables that we're going to execute on next year in order to unlock progress on our people initiatives and hopefully that'll improve culture. The second silo of course is safety and there are so many low so so much lowhanging fruit that we can bring to bear through some level of FAA reorganization.
▶ 2:38:19Today we have safety elements siloed in eight different lines of business and they don't talk to each other sir. They don't collaborate across the FAA agency landscape. In fact, in some ways they compete against one another. We are going to deconstruct that and we're going to create an integrated safe FAA safety process, one FAA safety management system focused on identifying and then mitigating risks quickly. That's on our to-do list. And then finally is modernization.
▶ 2:38:47These three things will work together to create an FAA that's transparent, accountable, and most importantly, effective. And I think that's really what this committee expects is an FAA that can deliver effective oversight of the aviation ecosystem and assure the traveling public that they're getting the safest travel experience, bar none.
▶ 2:39:12The gentleman yields. I now recognize Miss Hy.
▶ 2:39:15Thank you. Thank you so much. Um, Administrator Bedford, thank you so much for being here. And, um, I want to thank you and Secretary Duffy for continuing to engage with Congress following the tragedy at DCA.
▶ 2:39:33We were just at the right memorial dinner where we honored the first responders and Jennifer Homdy um and and for their efforts after the um US military US passenger aircraft incursion um at DCA and that was the first day that Secretary Duffy started his job and I know how much that impacted him. 67 people did not make it home after that collision.
▶ 2:40:03Families lost loved ones in an instant in what should have been a routine flight. And it happened in one of the most crowded airspaces in the country. And I'm concerned that we and I mean Congress is moving in the wrong direction as they we added slots at DCA and then created exemptions overriding Secretary Duffy for military aircraft operating in that same airspace.
▶ 2:40:32In airspace like that, the question is whether the entire air traffic control system, people, technology, coordination can reliably manage the complexity with we've built into it. So, we've made a serious down payment on modernizing air traffic control with the um infrastructure investment and jobs act, but that won't alone finish the job. So, my question is, what are we missing? I know this is a priority for yourself and Secretary Duffy.
▶ 2:41:03It's also a priority, bipartisan priority for us. What can we do to further support you in that effort?
▶ 2:41:12Well, thank you so much for that offer of support. The FAA's charge is to maintain the safety of the NAS. You know, that's our mission and we're going to stay on that mission. And I I don't know exactly what you know was contemplated in terms of some of the legislation that's sort of moving around here, but I want to assure this committee, I especially want to assure the families of 5342, there's no going back.
▶ 2:41:36There's no rolling back the safety procedures that we put in place uh since that, you know, horrific evening. So, uh, I'll assure the committee that if you can continue to help us advocate for our mission as being the, uh, the custodians of, uh, airspace safety and design, that would be appreciated. But I can tell you our our vigilance isn't waning.
▶ 2:41:59Thank you. And can you talk about some of the things that you have done and what you intend to do within that air traffic control system?
▶ 2:42:07Absolutely. To update it, like long overdue update.
▶ 2:42:10Sure. So in in the you know prior to my on boarding at FAA so give credit to Secretary Duffy and acting administrator Roshelo and the rest of the team um as you said it was his first day on the job and I know it deeply moved him and he is an excellent partner for me a great boss to have as we talk about modernizing uh the air traffic control system. His heart president's heart are clearly in the right space here as is Congress. So, thank you again so much for your continued support and advocacy and the checkbook.
▶ 2:42:41Very much appreciated. The agency quickly moved to deconlict the airspace. No more mixed traffic in the deep capital region airspace. Doesn't happen anymore. Not going to happen in the future. Let's be clear. Second thing is we terminated all mixed or sorry, visual separation. We don't allow visual separation any longer. Uh and then of course we've completely cancelled several helicopter routes. So we we've essentially moved the helicopter traffic out of the capital region.
▶ 2:43:11It's certainly less convenient for people who might otherwise have wanted to take the shortcut, but if they want to fly, they can fly. They just have to simply move around the traffic. So they can still get there. I want to be clear. And I also want to make sure you understand the military has been good partners for us in these changes. They have we have a memorandum of agreement with the military. They have respected that. They continue to respect it. I'm not aware of any desire to change that.
▶ 2:43:37But again, uh all of that learning has been embedded in that uh operating agreement. And then we took that learning and we went across the nation and we looked for places where we saw mixeduse traffic. Las Vegas, we saw some issues in the Northeast uh and some of high traffic corridors. and we've implemented many of these same mitigations and we've even found some places where we see conflicts like in Van Eis and Burbank that we're working on. So again, there's tremendous safety data out there.
▶ 2:44:07We just have to unlock it and and be proactive with it.
▶ 2:44:12Thank you very much. Although it might be less convenient for military helicopters to get somewhere and it'll take them a few more minutes, it's a hell of a lot less convenient when people die because we can't get them back. So, I want to thank you and Secretary Duffy for your efforts.
▶ 2:44:29Thank you for your support.
▶ 2:44:32Gentle lady yields. I now recognize Mr.
▶ 2:44:36Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh first uh I want to acknowledge the families that are here today, those that were impacted and affected by the January 29th tragedy. I'm sorry for your loss and I want you to know that we are committed to improving the safety of our aviation system so that we do not have another tragedy like this. Administrator uh Bedford, you have a tough job. Welcome.
▶ 2:45:04In California, communities near both major airports and growing spaceport activity are growing are experiencing increased noise as operations expand. This is something I consistently hear from my constituents on the central coast. How is the FAA addressing the cumulative noise impacts from traditional aviation and commercial space launches?
▶ 2:45:30And does the agency believe its current noise standards adequately reflect these evolving
▶ 2:45:38That's a really difficult question, sir, but thank you for it all the same. Um, the cadence of space launches has increased exponentially. We went, it took us 35 years to get to 1,000 launches. We'll do the next 1,000 launches in less than four years. Uh, so it's remarkable. We're seeing launch cadence now across the NAS that are multiple launches a day.
▶ 2:46:02It's both um remarkable and yet it creates significant demands on on what we do to meet the industries's tempo for commercial space development. But it's also a fantastic time to be in aviation. We're seeing the same challenges with drones, the same challenges with advanced air mobility. And let's talk about supersonic in 2027.
▶ 2:46:24So the the reality is as we unlock all of these new technologies and these new innovations which frankly for our economy are amazing and to keep that innovation here in the United States and to develop those competencies here with our workforce again tremendous opportunity for economic growth but it's always going to come at a cost of noise. So I don't know that we have great noise solutions other than uh what I mentioned earlier as part of our modernization process.
▶ 2:46:53We can keep noise higher in the atmosphere than we do today with modernization. If we as we go to strategic trajectorybased management we can actually have airplanes hit a point in space in altitude through power off descents into the airspace environment and land safely. And I think we can do a lot through our modernization efforts to abate noise. Uh but again, we've got to we've got to finish that job.
▶ 2:47:19Thank you. Uh, I want to encourage you to work with the Department of Defense who is currently looking at the supersonic noise issue and continue to look at our standards because at the end of the day, if we don't look at uh the thresholds of sound and the impact that they're having on communities, we may not m be mitigating uh as appropriately as and as as effectively as we would like to. So, I want to encourage you to continue working with the Department of Defense as well.
▶ 2:47:50Thank you.
▶ 2:47:50Uh, m Mr. Bedford, airports support innovative approach procedures such as optimized descent profiles to ease airspace bottlenecks, improve airspace safety, and ease community noise concerns in congested airspace like Florida, New York, and Southern California. Such projects are vital to expanding capacity to meet the growing demand for more flights.
▶ 2:48:16How will the brand new air traffic control system address and expedite efforts to improve the aerospace navigation across the
▶ 2:48:27Well, I hope you appreciate the fact that I actually just answered that question in my previous response, but so we're thinking exactly the same. Modernizing is the key to unlocking more capacity and reducing noise. And the way we'll do that, uh, and if I'm being perfectly transparent with you, we're going to need the second level of funding, the second trunch of funding. I know the secretaries on the hill today and tomorrow, so let me put a plug in for that.
▶ 2:48:52The 12.5 billion dollars that you've generously given us allow us to do a significant amount of work that prepares the NAS for that final piece of modernization which is we need to lift the essentially the compute power and the data out of each individual facility.
▶ 2:49:10So today all of that power resides in 350 separate facilities and one facility can't see the data that the other facility has requiring significant human intervention to tactically deconlict traffic. In the NAS of the future we will lift that compute power into the cloud along with an operating system in the cloud that presents an ability to manage traffic strategically versus tactically.
▶ 2:49:37And that's what will unlock the ability to do um trajectory based management and those power off descents that you mentioned in your
▶ 2:49:45Thank you, Mr. Chair. Since I'm the last one, may I indulge uh can I uh get an extra 30 seconds, please?
▶ 2:49:52Yes, sir. Go ahead.
▶ 2:49:53Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh Mr. Bedford. It is my understanding that work related to the FAA's rulemaking process, which is critical to safety, innovation, and getting product to the marketplace, was greatly impacted during the recent government shutdown. Can you share how the agency is working to address critical rulemaking priorities that may have been affected and were congressionally directed?
▶ 2:50:18Uh, yes, sir, I can. Thank you. Um, first and foremost, uh, reauthorization 2024 requires us essentially to pull the office of rulemaking out of our AVS line of business and put more more line of sight for the administrator on the rulemaking process. Sort of early in my tenure to try to understand how rule making gets done here. Uh, I got the premier, I got the education on it. It's not a pretty process.
▶ 2:50:44I mean and it's not a process that is solely within the FAA agency realm of influence. So there is a myriad of a process management improvement. I think we can have a conversation about how to get that done that will lead to more agility and frankly more responsiveness in terms of how we make rules. But we are we have acted upon the uh 2024 reauthor requirement to lift the office of rulemaking out of our AVS line of business.
▶ 2:51:12put more line of sight on it and I think the rule making team's done some great work with Mosaic um and now with BV loss and soon to be supersonic. So we're there we want to get it done.
▶ 2:51:24Thank you Mr. Chair back. Thank you Mr. Carver. We are addressing the uh the noise with the it's called the supersonic aircraft modernization act and we're we're going to mark up on Thursday with that bipartisan we have support. So we got to address this outdated restriction. I think it's 1973. But thank you for your time. Gentleman yields. Um any uh any further questions? Any members? I don't see any. Uh this concludes our hearing. I thought it was fantastic.
▶ 2:51:53Thank you for being here with us. Uh Administrator Bedford, we look forward to working with you. Whether the number is 20 billion or whatever the number is. I believe Mr. Carson and I are all about uh success and safety and in our NAS and and and we want to be a a force multiplier for you sir uh so we can see success in the future. Uh with that uh this uh hearing will be concluded. I'd like to thank you again. The subcommittee stands adjourned.