▶ 0:19:02>> good morning>>. Today we will hear from five nominees. Thomas chapman for another term of the national transportation safety board. Edward eppler to serve as chief financial officer of the department of transportation. Karen hedlund for another term on the surface transportation board.
▶ 0:19:26Brian lorenze and karen sessions to serve on the consumer product safety commission. Mr. chapman, democrat nominee has served since 2020 where he has focused on highway and traffic safety, saying that is where our greatest safety challenges lie. Prior to joining the board Mr.
▶ 0:19:50Chapman spent six years as minority aviation counsel for this committee where he worked on bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the faa, tsa, ntsb. He previously spent more than 30 years working in the aviation industry. Mr. eppler has spent decades as an investment banker including as the global head of aerospace and defense at goldman sachs.
▶ 0:20:22This private sector experience will be an asset and he manages more than $100 billion annual budget. We know he could oversee a large and diverse portfolio. A democrat nominee has served since 2022 on the stb which oversees the economic aspects of railroads.
▶ 0:20:50She previously spent more than 30 years in private practice and as a consultant advising state governments on transportation infrastructure projects. She also served as the federal railroad administration's deputy administrator and is the federal highway administration's chief counsel. Finally we have the two republican nominees for the consumer product safety commission. Mr.
▶ 0:21:17Lorenze currently serves as the executive director where he works with the acting chairman to implement a data first approach to enforcement. He has previously worked in data analytics and held senior positions in government.
▶ 0:21:40She also served in the first trump administration including as a senior appointee at the millennium challenge corporation and worked in management roles in telecommunication industry. She has held elected office in florida. A straightforward mission protecting american consumers from unsafe products. Under the biden administration they pursued a radical environmental and regulatory agenda.
▶ 0:22:13One claims that class -- gas stoves posed hidden hazards and when asked about the authority to ban them he said everything is on the table. The biden administration tried to use the regulatory power to advance the democrats long-running war.
▶ 0:22:35I'm confident they will help get the cpsc back to doing its job and refocus on protecting consumers from unsafe products. Not advancing the leftist agenda to try to fiddle with the earth's thermostat. I look forward to hearing from our nominees today. Thank you.
▶ 0:23:05Sen. Hickenlooper: Thank you all for being here. Appreciate your time and energy to get here to justify these relevant issues. I have two things to do first. I want to have a letter here from the national consumers league. They face the consumer protections.
▶ 0:23:34Sen. Hickenlooper: I asked that this be read into the record. I will assume it is in the record now.
▶ 0:24:00Sen. Hickenlooper: Now I will recognize senator welch to introduce our first witness and welcome back to commerce.
▶ 0:24:14Sen. Welch: I am here to introduce the department of transportation's nominee to be chief financial officer. Senator cruz had the kind remarks that I endorse eppler. That will help him in his position where domestic aviation and innovation continue to be major challenges.
▶ 0:24:46Sen. Welch: For 30 years they have worked at an executive level with some of the worlds I would say significant companies. It is a big enterprise. He has been very successful there in building their portfolio. Most recently he served as cfo for technologists in south burlington. This is an incredible story.
▶ 0:25:18Sen. Welch: It was a one billion dollar capitalization company. Incredible work done by the leadership there. Much of that historic feat is attributable to the very good work they did with the team he built. By the way, it is on track to have 2000 employees by the end of 2027.
▶ 0:25:49Sen. Welch: She has a big background in aerospace transportation financing through his work at beta and goldman sachs. He really understands the needs and shortfalls of our transportation system. We all know that needs attention. Especially in rural areas like vermont. He also is totally focused on innovation and maintaining U.S.
▶ 0:26:16Sen. Welch: Manufacturing leadership in the aviation and transportation sectors. He has incredible experience. He comes to this at a point in his career where it for him it is all about service. It is all about being there for our country. I want to express my appreciation to Mr. eppler for taking the talents he has developed and applying them to the benefit of all americans. It is with great enthusiasm that I introduce Mr. eppler to the committee.
▶ 0:26:46Sen. Welch: Thank you.
▶ 0:26:53Mr. Eppler: Thank you for those kind words. Members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I'm thankful for president trump for nominating me.
▶ 0:27:18Mr. Eppler: Senator welch had those very kind words and secretary duffy for his continued faith and support. I also want to introduce and thanked my daughter and her husband nick with me here today. My two other children could not join us. One is expecting her third child any day now and the other lives and works in london. My wife of nearly 36 years passed away recently. Having family support means a great deal to me.
▶ 0:27:51Mr. Eppler: I them deeply honored to be nominated for this position. I hope to fulfill the role of citizen states by our founding fathers. It calls to step away from private lives to serve the nation, guided by reason rather than personal ambition. They contribute their talents for the good of the nation.
▶ 0:28:16Mr. Eppler: In many respects this opportunity comes at the ideal moment in my professional career standing squarely in our long-standing passion for aviation. It spans more than 30 years working alongside some of the world's leading aerospace defense technology companies. I served in a variety of senior finance. As you just heard beta technologies.
▶ 0:28:44Mr. Eppler: I have spent decades serving as a global investment banker and other wall street firms. His background has given me a deep understanding of the aviation industry across north america, europe, asia. My advisory work in the industrial sectors has allowed me to collaborate closely with some of our nation's major shareholders as well as the engineering and construction firms driving transportation infrastructure forward.
▶ 0:29:14Mr. Eppler: As the chief financial officer of a high-growth, high-tech aerospace company I manage budget development and execution, oversaw financial performance, and adherence to strict controls. We had led capital initiatives. Crucially this background gave us a look at the advanced mobility industry.
▶ 0:29:40Mr. Eppler: The technological regulatory and global competitors shifts impacting the faa and dot today. The industry insight will be highly valuable as the government's next cfo. I spent nearly 30 years working in new york. I have a deep familiarity with some of our nation's busiest and most vital transportation assets which includes a dense network of roads, bridges, tunnels, rails.
▶ 0:30:13Mr. Eppler: I spent four of the past five years living and working in vermont. It has given me first-hand appreciation for the distinct challenges faced by rural communities were a lack of sufficient infrastructure could directly impact economic opportunity. I understand however complex national airspace operates.
▶ 0:30:38Mr. Eppler: It leaves me with a profound commitment to the organization and the criticality of ensuring aviation safety. If confirmed I committed to working collaboratively with members of this community for this goals are met. I will focus this office on accelerating project delivery wherever possible and ensuring robust financial oversight.
▶ 0:31:04Mr. Eppler: I look forward to working with secretary duffy, president trump, members of this committee to make our world-class transportation infrastructure work for america. Thank you.
▶ 0:31:24Mr. Chapman: Thank you. Good morning. I consider it a particular privilege. Thanks to all of you for the opportunity to appear before you. I'm honored to be nominated to serve a full second term. I very much appreciate the board chair who was here with us today .
▶ 0:31:53Mr. Chapman: I think my colleague for being here and for this support. I'm grateful to my remarkable colleagues for all they do to promote safety and transportation. Our work has been a rewarding opportunity to apply my experience and skills allowing us to get back to public service . I know you won't mind if I say a few words about the people most important to me. My wife is here by my side.
▶ 0:32:24Mr. Chapman: My partner and best friend. She has been with me these past four years. My terrific son is watching online from great britain. Patrick recently graduated with his masters degree from the london school of economics. He is seeking to begin his professional career. He is hoping he might have an opportunity to remain and work there for the next few years.
▶ 0:32:52Mr. Chapman: It's my nearly five decades of experience in the aviation industry have prepared me well for the top tasks at the ntsb. Throughout my career I have been deeply involved in extensive range of issues often playing a key role in identifying and negotiating resolutions.
▶ 0:33:14Mr. Chapman: Virtually every aspect of aviation laws, consequently I came with a keen awareness and sensitivity for the importance of safety culture and I have sought to apply that perspective to my work as a board member in pursuit of a critical safety mission. In addition to my experience I bring at least two qualities to the position which I believe are valuable. First, I benefit from an established reputation for consensus building.
▶ 0:33:44Mr. Chapman: Second, I am committed to public service and I believe much is expected from those who are most fortunate. I am an aggressive advocate for the policy positions I am obliged or personally committed to represent. I strive to demonstrate respect and appreciation for those that I may disagree. I believe in compromise and I take pride in crafting solutions that will accommodate seemingly conflicting points of view.
▶ 0:34:12Mr. Chapman: As for my commitment to service, I view it as a responsibility for those who are fortunate to prosper from professional life in the private sector. I was privileged to serve for six years on the staff of the senate commerce committee. I let the airline industry and joined the subcommittee staff in anticipation for major legislative effort to reauthorize the federal aviation administration.
▶ 0:34:43Mr. Chapman: I worked collaboratively with the bipartisan senate team and our efforts resulted in several significant legislative achievements. As chairman cruz noted, I believe that is what our greatest safety challenges lie.
▶ 0:35:05Mr. Chapman: I speak extensively on the approach to traffic safety, pedestrian safety, alcohol and drug impairments, rail worker and highway crossing hazards. I am especially active on key initiatives to progress to stubbornly persistent challenges. Alcohol impaired driving and excessive speeding.
▶ 0:35:27Mr. Chapman: I am proud of the important public policy accomplishments to which I have contributed as a former member of the staff and since joining the national transportation safety board. I welcome the prospect of building these efforts. That concludes my former remark -- formal remarks. I'm happy to answer questions.
▶ 0:35:53Sen. Hickenlooper: Now I get to introduce miss hedlund, a resident of colorado.
▶ 0:35:59Ms. Hedlund: Thank you to the members of this committee for the opportunity to appear before you today. As the president's nominee for second term, I also want to thank my family, my son's eric and alex. They are remarkable, their wives, my grandchildren who I wish I'd come today but they would have been a little bit of a distraction.
▶ 0:36:28Ms. Hedlund: They are all tuning in and out there somewhere. I'm also honored to be joined by my fellow board members. I have had a great pleasure of working closely with over the last four years.
▶ 0:36:50Ms. Hedlund: They -- it has been one of the most fulfilling of my fairly long career. As chairman cruz mentioned, spent most of my life as a project finance attorney which meant I could work on projects all over the country with state and local governments including most states represented by members of this committee.
▶ 0:37:19Ms. Hedlund: In texas I worked on a privately developed tollroad, interstate 35. I worked at an anchorage airport matter. In the state of colorado before I joined the department of transportation, the t.
▶ 0:37:37Ms. Hedlund: Rex project between dot and here, I advised on the front range project that I am happy to see going forward. I had the privilege of advising the secretary of transportation of the p3 project.
▶ 0:38:06Ms. Hedlund: I also advised on some highway projects. I began my federal government career in 2009 when I first served as chief counsel of the federal highway administration. I moved over to the federal railroad administration as chief counsel as -- and deputy administrator.
▶ 0:38:30Ms. Hedlund: One thing I want to mention is I served under secretary hud, a gray republican from illinois. I learned a lot about the value of bipartisanship, which I carry with me today.
▶ 0:38:47Ms. Hedlund: I remember a late night program, the secretary was asked how could you as a republican serve for a democratic president? He said I have a lot of money and they are all my friends.
▶ 0:39:08Ms. Hedlund: I returned to the private sector in 2015 where I worked on the beginning of the northeast corridor for the portland to seattle rail project. This advanced my nomination.
▶ 0:39:33Ms. Hedlund: At the beginning of my first term, the railroad industry impacted the nation supply chain. It served as the president supply chain counsel. During several public hearings, the board's focus was on strengthening competition and increasing transparency.
▶ 0:40:05Ms. Hedlund: The class one railroads acknowledge the service challenge had been exacerbated by a fairly deep workforce reduction and they engaged in prior to the crisis. They had trouble getting back up to speed when -- after covid traffic came back faster than they expected. What we did was to require them to get more details.
▶ 0:40:38Ms. Hedlund: Data-driven recovery plans and public visibility into the operations. These measures have contributed to improved performance and clear accountability that we get from them today. At the same time we address competition issues and expand transparency, did investigation with on-time performance and the largest railroad merger at the time.
▶ 0:41:09Ms. Hedlund: I also want to mention how we are handling this very important work in the agency. Under our current chairman our legal staff.
▶ 0:41:33Ms. Hedlund: The last thing I want to say is if everything we do, we take items from the transportation policy which instructs us that the railroad industry is the policy of the united states government among other things to ensure the development of the sound rail transportation system with effective competition among rail carriers to meet the needs of the public and the national defense.
▶ 0:42:04Ms. Hedlund: As a result of all of this I would consider it a great privilege to be able to continue to serve the public interest in the national defense and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:42:18Chair Cruz: Thank you. Mr.lorenze, you are recognized for your opening statement.
▶ 0:42:28Mr. Lorenze: I'm honored and humbled. Before going forward I would like to recognize my wife who is my strongest supporter and is the love of my life. Our children are our greatest pride and joy. My experience in public service has prepared me to serve as commissioner.
▶ 0:42:55Mr. Lorenze: As the current executive director I understand the agency's missions, statutory responsibilities and challenges of protecting consumers in complex and rapidly evolving marketplace. The mission is critically important because consumer products a -- consumer products a deep prevents injuries and saves lives while strengthening public confidence in the products consumers use.
▶ 0:43:30Mr. Lorenze: Since I joined cpsc under the leadership of the acting chairman and the hard work of the men and women the average number of monthly recalls is up 73%. It is up 159%. The average number of monthly product screens is up 20%. The average number of monthly takedowns is up 208 percent.
▶ 0:43:59Mr. Lorenze: If confirmed, I hope to build on these successes throughout my career and have organizations responsible for managing risks with evidence-based decisions. As a commissioner I will use that experience to help ensure the agency remains effective, accountable, and trusting consumer organization that delivers impact within the limits of its statutory quarters.
▶ 0:44:28Mr. Lorenze: If confirmed I would focus on three priorities that are central to advancing the initiative. First I would prioritize addressing hidden and complex hazards that consumers cannot reasonably identify. Many of the most serious risks have design flaws, defects, other hazards that require expertise to detect.
▶ 0:44:55Mr. Lorenze: I would focus on strengthening the user data, analytics, technology to identify hazards earlier, improving enforcement and targeted resources and analytics will move the agency to one that happens before they occur. I would focus to make sure they keep pace with innovation and emerging product risks.
▶ 0:45:21Mr. Lorenze: New technologies and advanced materials, connected devices, energy storage systems offer significant benefits but could create new safety challenges. It is simple but profoundly important. If confirmed, I will work every day to ensure they carry out that mission with integrity, sound science, a relentless focus on results. Thank you for the opportunity to be before you today.
▶ 0:45:53Chair Cruz: Thank you.
▶ 0:45:55Ms. Sessions: Distinguished members of this committee, I'm honored to appear before you today and profoundly grateful to president trump for nominating me to serve our country as a commissioner of the consumer product safety commission. Our unwavering support throughout my career in public service.
▶ 0:46:26Ms. Sessions: It is to protect the public against an unreasonable risk of injuries with consumer products. This is deeply meaningful work that affects millions of families every day in fact, evidence, the law. The private sector, I have held leadership roles involving -- involving oversight, regulatory matters, public accountability.
▶ 0:46:54Ms. Sessions: This experience is experiencing the challenge facing the commission with supply chains in the expanding range of new and emerging products. If confirmed I will approach this role with integrity, sound judgment, and entrusted into the commission.
▶ 0:47:23Ms. Sessions: I will work with my commissioners, agency staff, and stakeholders to advance the agency remains an effective steward of the public trust.
▶ 0:47:40Chair Cruz: Thank you and welcome to each of the witnesses. Yesterday the aviation subcommittee held a hearing on near misses, it discussed existing technologies that improve safety in the sky and on the runway. The captain and president of the air line association, they noted that it has long been recommended by the ntsb.
▶ 0:48:10Chair Cruz: It has the benefit of significant adoption to save lives. It improve situational awareness and improve safety overall?
▶ 0:48:26Mr. Chapman: That is absolutely my point.
▶ 0:48:29Chair Cruz: The ntsb recommend that users be equipped with this where it is already required. Why is it critical for all users of the airspace including the military to operate with atsb?
▶ 0:48:47Mr. Chapman: It is critical that it all be seen and be able to see each other. That is the reason that element is so important. I know you have seen the video re-creation on the crash over dca and the overlay between the communication. I played that for the members of this committee.
▶ 0:49:15Mr. Chapman: We could not play this publicly because of the laws that prohibit the release. That being said I found one of the most chilling things I have ever seen. You can see the american airlines pilot cannot see the helicopter. The helicopter cannot see the american airlines jet. The video demonstrated it had been installed.
▶ 0:49:47Mr. Chapman: The black hawk helicopter roughly in minutes before the collision could have avoided the helicopter in that circumstance. It would've seen the jet almost a minute before the collision began and easily avoided the collision. Instead as the simulation plays forward, it is apparent the black hawk helicopter pilots never see the plane. They simply strike into it, explode and have no idea what they just hit.
▶ 0:50:18Mr. Chapman: The american airline pilot does see the helicopter. About 1.5 seconds before impact. Pulls back rapidly, the plane jerks up but that is not enough time to avoid the accident. The last words on the cockpit recording are an expletive at 67 souls died in an instant.
▶ 0:50:42Mr. Chapman: In your judgment if atsb had been installed and on those airplanes without accident have been avoided?
▶ 0:50:50Mr. Chapman: I do want to know to start that I was required to recuse myself because of an arrangement much earlier in my career involving american airlines. I followed the investigation very closely. I'm well aware of what you just described. I believe it would've made a huge difference. I commend members of the committee for your work in advancing it.
▶ 0:51:20Mr. Chapman: I believe that is the centerpiece for the recommendations.
▶ 0:51:25Chair Cruz: I fully agree. The senate has passed the act of bipartisan legislation 100-zero. Two thirds of the house has voted for it. A bipartisan vote. If failed because 26 house members were absent. We will get the rotor act passed. It deliberately avoids requiring adsp.
▶ 0:51:53Chair Cruz: It deliberately avoids what you describe is the centerpiece of the ntsb recommendation. The alert act would not have prevented the accident. We will get the act signed into law. I'd like to turn to another topic. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to dramatically improve road safety. The federal government lacks regulations that specifically lacks these leaving states and local governments to manage what should be a national policy.
▶ 0:52:23Chair Cruz: Do you believe we need a national policy to regulate this?
▶ 0:52:32Mr. Chapman: I certainly do we are seeing benefits from autonomous vehicles. Automation generally has done a lot to improve safety. There are some significant issues that we do not have a framework at this point for ensuring the challenges of deploying these vehicles that are not properly managed and monitored.
▶ 0:53:06Sen. Baldwin: Thank you for meeting with me last week. As you heard, I am very concerned about the merger between union pacific and north southern as proposed especially in light of some recent comments made by the ceo.
▶ 0:53:30Sen. Baldwin: Speaking to investors just a week ago argued that statute requires the stb to complete a review within 12 months of accepting an application and that clock is already running. He then said if the board does not follow that 12 month requirement in his words it does not have to follow the statute either.
▶ 0:54:00Sen. Baldwin: In reference to the public interest requirement. Is it the applicants burden to prove this merger is in the public interest, something that they could just switch off? Is that something that they could do?
▶ 0:54:27Ms. Hedlund: I don't want to comment on the substance because it is pending before the board.
▶ 0:54:37Sen. Baldwin: I don't want to ask you a substance question.
▶ 0:54:42Ms. Hedlund: The statute says it should be in the public interest.
▶ 0:54:51Sen. Baldwin: The post 2001 major railroad procedures places a heightened emphasis on whether class one railroad mergers enhance rather than merely preserve competition, will you promote -- out of this required by these updated standards when evaluating the merger?
▶ 0:55:19Ms. Hedlund: Yes.
▶ 0:55:23Sen. Baldwin: I wanted to raise something else as he seeks approval of this railroad mega merger. My office has received reports that they are threatening retaliation against anyone who publicly opposes merger.
▶ 0:55:44Sen. Baldwin: I want your commitment to ensure unions, short lines, other stakeholders could participate freely and openly in the merger process without fear of retaliation, could I have that commitment?
▶ 0:56:05Ms. Hedlund: You do. I would like to say any type of retaliation would be utterly unacceptable.
▶ 0:56:16Sen. Baldwin: Thank you. Funding in the bipartisan infrastructure law is only available before it lapses. In fiscal year 2023 raise grants including awards to wisconsin's department of transportation, milwaukee and kenosha must be allocated through executive grant through september 30 of next year, 2027.
▶ 0:56:50Sen. Baldwin: Last year government accountability office found the department of transportation had obligated only 59% of its available bipartisan infrastructure, the grant funding. The chief financial officer is the department steward of these dollars.
▶ 0:57:16Sen. Baldwin: Would you commit to carefully tracking these deadlines the department sub agencies that grant funding gets funding before it expires?
▶ 0:57:36Mr. Eppler: I will. I'm aware there is a backlog of grants that need to be released and I will absolutely commit to working with you to see the status of each of those.
▶ 0:57:52Sen. Baldwin: Will you commit to giving this committee a regular public accounting of how much grant funding remains unobligated and how much each year's funds are to their deadline?
▶ 0:58:06Mr. Eppler: Yes. One thing that I'm really keen to dig into his understand what is the status of grants that were obligated and where they stand and if they will be impacted. It is a big task. I'm certainly committed.
▶ 0:58:27Sen. Baldwin: I'm concerned about the efforts of president trump to remove the heads of independent agencies in opposition to long-standing supreme court precedent. If confirmed, will you take directives from the white house or will you use your independent judgment on matters that come before the commission?
▶ 0:58:56Mr. Lorenze: We will use independent judgment.
▶ 0:59:02Ms. Sessions: I will used my independent judgment.
▶ 0:59:04Chair Cruz: Thank you.
▶ 0:59:07Sen. Blunt-Rochester: Thank you to all of the nominees and your families both in the room and also watching live around the world. Thank you for participating as well. We have a lot of ground to cover so let's get started.
▶ 0:59:27Sen. Blunt-Rochester: I understand that you weren't involved in the tragic dca midair collision investigation but that you are fully supportive of the final recommendations, correct?
▶ 0:59:38Mr. Chapman: That is correct.
▶ 0:59:39Sen. Blunt-Rochester: Thank you for confirming that. You touched on this with senator cruz and his questions but for everyone watching here today, could you please identify the most urgent recommendation from the final report of your estimation?
▶ 0:59:54Mr. Chapman: The centerpiece of the recommendations we made. We made almost 50 recommendations. The centerpiece is absolutely recommending requiring adsb.
▶ 1:00:10Sen. Blunt-Rochester: Thank you. That is why as was said by our chairman is so important that we push the path forward with the house to pass the bipartisan rotor act which implements ntsb recommendations to close safety gaps and address systemic failures. It is mission critical focus and we owe it to the victims families in particular to get this right.
▶ 1:00:42Sen. Blunt-Rochester: I'd also like to stay with you and ship to the key bridge collapse in maryland where six construction workers lost their lives as a result of the investigation, the ntsb published the safeguarding bridges, the need for vulnerability assessment and risk reduction strategies report .
▶ 1:01:04Sen. Blunt-Rochester: The report found that 68 bridges including three in delaware have an unknown level of risk of collapse from a vessel collision . I understand they have received responses from bridge owners based on these recommendations as they develop risk reduction plans. What should congress do to support the ntsb's recommendation and bridge owners to ensure our bridges meet the highest safety standards?
▶ 1:01:37Mr. Chapman: It is certainly my impression that bridge owners are responding to the recommendations made in this area. We are encouraged by legislation , we continue to monitor that
▶ 1:02:11Mr. Chapman: And engage and it is very important as we saw with the bridge collapse, very tragic that we lost any lives. It could've been so much worse. We don't want to see that kind of tragedy repeated elsewhere.
▶ 1:02:27Sen. Blunt-Rochester: I will shift to Ms. sessions and Mr. lorenze, the rapid growth of online marketplaces, supply chains, rapidly evolving technologies transform how they purchase consumer products and create new challenges for consumer safety regulators.
▶ 1:02:51Sen. Blunt-Rochester: That is why senator curtis and I introduced the bipartisan consumer safety technology act that would establish a pilot program to explore how artificial intelligence could help the cpsc detect recalled products being sold online and better target unsafe imports.
▶ 1:03:15Sen. Blunt-Rochester: If confirmed, how would you leverage technology and data analytics to modernize the cpsc and better protect consumers in an increasingly complex marketplace.
▶ 1:03:38Ms. Sessions: You are highlighting this year volume of consumer goods that are entering the country. I believe the commission through data-driven risk assessment decision-making is very important for the modernization of the tools to be able to be targeted and enforcement to the standards that exist. I look forward to bringing my skills.
▶ 1:04:13Mr. Lorenze: We are doing a lot to increase data for evidence-based decision-making, one of our achievements of the last year has been to use better use data. We are getting death certificates up to three years after the fact. We have half the states getting it in real time.
▶ 1:04:42Mr. Lorenze: We are now getting that data in our system in minutes. We are vastly increasing the use of data, the 208 percent increase in takedowns is largely due to the way we are marrying humans and our staff with ai to identify where there are dangerous products.
▶ 1:05:10Sen. Blunt-Rochester: This is touching everybody. We are shopping online, doing all of these things. Sometimes people don't even know what is safe. Getting that real-time data back is important to provide that consumer protection. That committee will have an opportunity to consider our bipartisan consumer safety technology and thank you, I yield back.
▶ 1:05:41Chair Cruz: You have had a front row seat to the crackdown on illicit products and commissions approach to the digital environment. The agency recently issued its 100,000 takedown notice for recalled or banned products listed online. In your view, how should they think about the regulation of products with an artificial intelligence component such as ai powered.
▶ 1:06:15Chair Cruz: The cpsc should focus on the physical components.
▶ 1:06:20Mr. Lorenze: That is correct. That is where our authorities lay. We think this is an important topic. There will be many more products that have ai components. We need to be attentive to that, vigilant. We look forward to working with members of the committee to address what we see in data.
▶ 1:06:50Chair Cruz: Elaborate on what that would mean in practice?
▶ 1:06:54Mr. Lorenze: We would be able to look at data, large amounts of data and identify where there is actually products that are causing death or hazard. We will be able to assess that and come back to you and be able to show where there is an ai component that may be leading to physical injury. If so, we have the authorities to deal with physical injuries.
▶ 1:07:27Chair Cruz: The stb merger rules require applicants seeking approval of major class one mergers to demonstrate that such merger will enhance the competition. If you could turn your microphone on.
▶ 1:07:52Ms. Hedlund: Thank you for the question, it is a key provision that were adopted in 2001. The one that is currently pending before us, we have recently asked the applicants for more information on their view of how they would enhance
▶ 1:08:22Ms. Hedlund: Competition. They would receive comments from other parties. I hesitate to comment further on the issue.
▶ 1:08:33Chair Cruz: I assume evidence that the merger would result in an increase in price to customers. It would be powerful if not compelling evidence?
▶ 1:08:47Ms. Hedlund: That would be an issue that I would not be surprised if parties would raise . The railroad industry, class one railroad industry. We have a duopoly in the east, duopoly in the west.
▶ 1:09:14Ms. Hedlund: How we maintain competition in a concentrated industry that is going to be a matter of significant consequence for us.
▶ 1:09:24Chair Cruz: You recently worked at a leading advanced air mobility company, if confirmed you would -- join the department of transportation in the midst of the most ambitious air traffic control project in decades, how will your experience in the private sector inform your approach to managing the finances of a large government agency like the department of transportation?
▶ 1:09:49Mr. Eppler: Thank you for the question. Modernization of air traffic control is an enormous priority and an enormous project. Their hardware and software elements. What I would say is disassociate with any project, you have to make sure you have any -- very clear performance indicators, a clear timeline, clear budget.
▶ 1:10:15Mr. Eppler: Holding the people who are responsible for the implementation of it. One of the things as you mentioned, our airspace is changing. The introduction of new types of aircraft including some that may be remote piloted, autonomous, I think one of the things we think about is we are prepared for the future. It's how will we design systems?
▶ 1:10:49Mr. Eppler: As someone who has managed large budgets, I'm committed to bringing financial rigor to the way we do this. I want to see this happen broadly as quickly as possible. I think my experience has given me a good understanding of what is to come.
▶ 1:11:08Chair Cruz: Thank you. My final question is required of all nominees. If confirmed do you pledge to work collaboratively with this committee to provide thorough and timely responses to this committee's requests and to appear before the committee when requested? >> I do, >> I do, >> absolutely.
▶ 1:11:40Chair Cruz: I ask unanimous consent to be inserted into the hearing record without objection, so ordered. Senators will have until the close of business on june 20 sixth to submit questions for the record. Nominees will have until the close of business on june 30 to respond to those questions. That concludes today's hearing. The committee stands adjourned.