02.06.25

In Aftermath Of Tragedies, Cantwell Tells Trump She’ll Hold Him Accountable To Promises On Aviation Infrastructure

“The president says he wants to see an increase in aviation infrastructure […] So great, Mr. President, we will be calling on you for your help in that effort”; Cantwell is leading ongoing efforts to boost hiring of air traffic controllers & make flying safer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, committed to delivering answers to the families of the people who died in two major aviation tragedies in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia last week.

In a meeting of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation yesterday, Sen. Cantwell also called on President Donald Trump to make good on his promise to improve aviation infrastructure:

“Our heart goes out to these families for the tragedies they are suffering, for the long-term impacts that they will have from this, and the remaining questions that they want us to answer. I am dedicated, Mr. Chairman, to moving quickly once we have information on resolutions of issues that will enhance the air safety of our system.

“Having worked both during COVID, and in 25 days working with Senator Wicker, we came up with a transportation solution to what we needed to do for our airspace during that time period. And also working with Senator Wicker in short order after the two MAX crashes to push and finalize through Congress a major aviation safety bill.

“It is imperative that we tell the families we are going to have the same fervor now in getting aviation safety enhancements that will prevent this from happening again.

“I hope that we can work together in a very bipartisan fashion, along with our two colleagues, Senator Duckworth and Senator Moran, the subcommittee chair and ranking member on doing that.

“And I take the President at his word. The President says he wants to see an increase in aviation infrastructure. He's frustrated by the fact that, on a global basis the system of digitizing our airspace off a radar has moved faster than the United States. So great, Mr. President, we will be calling on you for your help in that effort,” Sen. Cantwell said.

Last year, when Sen. Cantwell served as chair of the committee, she sounded the alarm about the staffing shortage of air traffic controllers, need for more FAA safety inspectors, a series of aviation incidents and near-misses on and around runways, and the midair blowout of an emergency exit door plug in January 2024. She led the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act, signed into law in May 2024, which boosts controller staffing, ensuring a five-year commitment to maximum hiring and training to close the current staffing gap. The law requires upgraded safety technologies - giving controllers better visibility into all aircraft and ground traffic - to be installed at every large and medium airport nationwide, includes stricter safety standards for aircraft operators and plane manufacturers as well as provisions to boost staffing to put more FAA safety inspectors on factory floors.

In yesterday’s meeting, Sen. Cantwell also addressed:

Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks in yesterday’s committee meeting is HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.

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