During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) praised the FAA Reauthorization Act.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 I ask unanimous consent that I'm permitted to speak for up to 20 minutes prior to the
00:03 scheduled roll call vote.
00:05 Without objection.
00:06 Mr. President, we come to the floor.
00:08 My colleagues have already been out here today.
00:10 It's a great day for aviation because we have a product before the United States Senate
00:15 and members will be asked to vote to move forward on consideration of this important
00:20 aviation safety legislation.
00:22 As my colleagues have already said, this is a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the FAA
00:29 reauthorization.
00:30 It is important to reauthorize both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation
00:37 Safety Board for another five years.
00:40 We are not only giving them direction and resources to improve safety, but we're asking
00:45 them to keep up to date on the implementation of the latest technologies that help us do
00:50 just that.
00:51 I want to thank my colleague, Senator Cruz, who was just on the Senate floor for helping
00:55 negotiate this through the Senate Commerce Committee.
00:58 And I want to thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larson from my state for their participation
01:03 and dedication to producing this bicameral, bipartisan legislation.
01:09 And certainly, certainly want to thank Senators Duckworth and Moran, who chair the subcommittee
01:14 in the aviation area, for their important contributions to this legislation.
01:21 I also want to thank President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, Administrator Whitaker for helping
01:26 us on all of the input as we move forward on this legislation.
01:31 Certainly want to thank Senators Schumer and Thune and Duckworth and Sinema, who helped
01:36 to negotiate key provisions of this as it relates to pilot safety and training.
01:42 And I definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely want to thank the very hard work
01:47 of our committee majority staff and the committee minority staff for working diligently on this
01:54 important legislation.
01:56 I can't tell you how important it is at this point in time for us to show that we are paying
02:01 attention to these issues.
02:04 Over the last 12 months, several incidents, including a door plug blowout, a string of
02:09 close calls at airports, have made the public question where we are with aviation safety.
02:16 We need to show them that we are asking for implementing and holding accountable the FAA
02:22 to a gold standard for safety.
02:25 These incidents underscore why we need a strong authorization bill, why we need to
02:30 implement safety improvements, why we need to invest in a safety workforce at the FAA,
02:37 why we need strong consumer laws on the books that give consumers a right to a refund.
02:45 The FAA authorization bill does all those things.
02:49 It provides the direction.
02:51 It provides the resources.
02:53 It helps us build that aviation workforce, and it helps us implement safety technology
02:59 that will be part of the next-gen system and improve aviation and airport infrastructure
03:05 nationwide.
03:08 Some of my colleagues may think, "Well, FAA, okay, it's an aviation bill."
03:13 But what is behind this?
03:16 Aviation contributes 5% of our GDP.
03:21 That's $1.9 trillion of economic activity and 11 million jobs.
03:28 Getting this right is paramount.
03:30 I think some people look at what's happened during COVID and say, "Everybody has workforce
03:35 shortages.
03:36 Everybody has problems.
03:37 The workforce is everywhere."
03:40 But when you have a workforce problem in aviation, it means you don't have the highest standards
03:46 for safety.
03:48 That is why we have to pass this legislation.
03:51 Our bill gives the aviation workforce the tools and the platform they need.
03:56 It's talking about machinists, about engineers, about mechanics, about pilots, about flight
04:02 attendants, about baggage handlers, about maintenance workers, the people who are really
04:07 part of the backbone of an aviation economy.
04:12 It is simple.
04:13 This bipartisan bill puts safety first.
04:17 It says we are authorizing over $100 billion so that the FAA does meet that gold standard.
04:26 We also are including a robust reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board.
04:32 This organization has and needs to do its job with the resources to hire investigators,
04:40 conduct thorough investigations, and produce the highest level of critical analysis to
04:46 why we've had safety accidents.
04:51 The NTSB needs to have the critical funding to carry out its important mission, like investigating
04:58 Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 and the train derailment of East Palestine.
05:05 These are important missions that help inform us what is wrong with our systems and how
05:11 they should be improved.
05:13 Unless we have those inspectors at NTSB, and we've lost some of them lately and some have
05:19 retired, we need to continue to have these most critical investigators.
05:27 This also funds the key safety improvements of our system.
05:32 It requires new and manufactured commercial aircraft to be equipped, as my colleagues
05:37 have mentioned, with a 25-hour cockpit voice recorder.
05:42 The standard today is just two hours.
05:44 And what unfortunately happened in the Alaska Air Door Plug issue is that in those short
05:50 two hours where people were in the aftermath of the confusion, that two hours was overridden.
05:58 Now we're asking the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate without the most
06:02 critical information that would have told us exactly what was happening in the cockpit
06:07 at that time, the voice recorder.
06:11 This legislation is critical to have a mandate and never to have that overridden in this
06:17 time period so we have enough time to investigate.
06:22 The NTSB also will strengthen its board and its workforce.
06:27 It investigates more than 2,600 accidents every year.
06:31 However, it has had the same number of people and staff for decades.
06:36 And that is why those 33 more investigators will be better equipped and better able to
06:42 understand emerging technologies.
06:45 I want to thank Senator Klobuchar for her leadership.
06:48 She and her provision on runway traffic and landing safety technology is helping us to
06:55 reduce collisions or near misses at airports.
06:59 This invest in deploying this technology that NTSB accurately assessed has been saving lives
07:07 at various airports and says it needs to be more deployed across the entire country.
07:14 These critical airport technologies will require all medium and large hub airports to implement
07:21 this within the next few years.
07:25 Based on the Aircraft Certification and Accountability Act, the bill that we passed in the aftermath
07:31 of the two Boeing Max crashes, this bill continues to make reforms in aircraft certification
07:38 to ensure that planes we fly meet the highest standards of the FAA.
07:44 To further the reform certification, we require the FAA provide public notice and opportunity
07:49 to comment on significant aviation product design changes.
07:54 A lot of the confusion in the Max incident of the MCAS system is people said they didn't
08:00 know or didn't understand.
08:02 This provision ensures the transparency for those proposed exemptions for the current
08:09 airworthiness standard.
08:11 It puts the flying public and unfortunately families who have been impacted more in the
08:16 driver's seat of understanding what changes are being proposed to airplane certification.
08:23 It also requires the recurrent training and stronger standards for manufacturer representatives
08:30 who act on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration as unit members to understand
08:38 the manufacturing process.
08:40 This includes strengthening the members' understanding of what are the international aviation standards
08:46 from ICAO, the safety management system, which is the gold standard for safety, and a key
08:53 recommendation of the expert review panel's report.
09:00 To ensure safety concerns also, this legislation includes an analysis of what are called service
09:09 difficulty reports and regular updates to Congress.
09:14 Service difficulty reports are information filed by pilots every day after a flight that
09:20 tells somebody this happened in our carrier, this incident happened.
09:25 And we are strengthening the requirement for the FAA to analyze that information early
09:32 and frequently and give Congress updates on this.
09:36 Again, something requested by the families of the Max air crash incidents.
09:41 Additionally, we authorized $66.7 billion to boost the FAA staff and programs and resources
09:50 to strengthen the oversight of the manufacturing process.
09:54 This is critical in providing what are called safety inspectors by the FAA.
10:00 These are people we hire and train at the FAA.
10:04 They go to a community college and take a safety course and they are required to understand
10:09 what are the obligations of a manufacturer to implement the code that the FAA has.
10:17 These air traffic, these individuals from the FAA have, we need a more aggressive investment
10:28 in them, their training, their skilling, their ability to stay current on the latest and
10:33 greatest technology.
10:35 To better support the FAA's oversight, the agency is required to revise and implement
10:41 and update these safety inspector models so that we can increase the responsibilities.
10:48 In 2021, the inspector general, I'm sorry, the Department of Transportation inspector
10:55 highlighted that staffing shortages by the FAA's flight standard and certification management
11:01 district offices were critical.
11:05 Mr. Chairman, Mr. President, I want to take a moment to give my condolences to the family
11:11 of Ian Wan.
11:12 Ian Wan was one of these people who helped understand the certification process at what
11:19 is called the Seattle BASU office.
11:21 That's the office of the FAA that oversees certification.
11:26 We need people to stand up like Ian Wan did and said that the certification is only good
11:32 when the FAA says it's good.
11:35 That's the kind of people we need in this system.
11:37 We recently lost Ian to cancer, but we'll remember his dedication to getting aviation
11:44 right.
11:46 The professional aviation safety specialist pass representing the FAA safety employees
11:51 estimates that the FAA is currently experiencing a 20% shortage of safety inspectors.
11:58 Implementing a revised model helps us better capture the inspector workload, what it takes
12:04 to ensure the next generation of technology is fully understood, and to make sure that
12:09 operators and manufacturers are complying with the law.
12:13 I also want to thank Senator Schatz for his helicopter tour safety provision.
12:18 Many people know how many people travel to the state of Hawaii to travel on air tours
12:23 and around those beautiful islands.
12:26 But that important safety responsibility has to be clear to those independent operators
12:33 that they are going to meet the highest standards when moving the public around.
12:39 Another safety provision win in the bill by Senators Baldwin, Capito, Welch called the
12:45 Global Aviation Maintenance Safety Improvement Act will strengthen the FAA's oversight of
12:51 foreign repair stations and create a more level playing field.
12:56 Unfortunately, as aircraft maintenance went overseas and the FAA didn't have enough inspectors,
13:02 where did they not inspect the maintenance and repair of aircraft in those overseas repair
13:07 stations?
13:09 But now we are taking away any incentive for someone to go do that overseas because the
13:14 FAA will be there, will inspect, and make sure that we're meeting the standard.
13:19 So this will help us bring this back to the United States.
13:23 There are nearly 1,000 FAA certified maintenance and repair stations operating outside the
13:28 United States, and we have to make sure that they are properly regulated.
13:42 We are also in this legislation making sure that the FAA workforce is well trained and
13:49 advised to help the FAA.
13:51 It helps recruit skilled technical and expert staff to ensure that manufacturers don't take
13:56 shortcuts.
13:58 It helps the FAA do more direct hiring to quickly fill these positions.
14:04 And one of the most important aspects of the legislation is our most pressing workforce
14:09 problem, and that is the shortage of over 3,000 air traffic controllers.
14:17 Everyone knows that these air traffic controllers are what guide us every day to the safety
14:22 of our destinations.
14:24 This bill recognizes that we have shortchanged that investment with air traffic controllers
14:30 sometimes working as much as six days a week.
14:34 We need a workforce that is going to continue to tackle these challenges, and this bill
14:39 makes the investment so that happens.
14:42 We've seen the FAA fall short of goals before in workforce training, but this staffing model
14:50 and the FAA staffing committed to in this bill will help us fill that gap.
15:00 I want to thank Senators Klobuchar, Duckworth, Warnock, Moran, Thune, Peters, and Kelly for
15:06 their Workforce Development Grant Program in this legislation.
15:11 It helps us grow pilots, mechanics, engineers, and technical workforce and streamline the
15:17 job pathway for veterans who have real skill in the military and can more easily help us
15:23 fill these aviation roles.
15:26 Our bill requires the GAO to also study airport workers' standards, a step towards getting
15:32 our baggage handlers and our ramp workers and our aircraft cleaners the pay and benefits
15:38 they deserve.
15:41 This bill also does something for the first time for consumers.
15:46 It says that you deserve a refund after a three-hour delay, even if you have a non-refundable
15:54 ticket.
15:56 You also deserve a refund for an international flight.
15:59 If it's been delayed for six hours, then you can get that refund immediately by talking
16:06 to the carrier, or if you decide you just don't even want to be on the delayed flight,
16:12 you can get a refund.
16:15 I want to thank Senators Markey and Vance for a mandate in the bill that says families
16:20 get to sit together and you can't charge us more.
16:25 If the airlines break these rules, guess what happens?
16:28 The DOT Assistant Secretary is authorized to issue penalties up to $75,000 for fines
16:36 and penalties to have a strong deterrent here.
16:38 I also want to thank Subcommittee Chair Duckworth for her leadership in making sure airlines
16:43 better accommodate passengers with disabilities.
16:47 It's because of her unbelievable advocacy here that we are going to reduce the damage
16:53 that is done to wheelchairs and to the passengers who have to make these flights for their own
16:59 needs.
17:00 And certainly, thank Senator Duckworth as one of our national heroes and veterans for
17:06 her unbelievable pilot expertise in helping us.
17:10 Senators Tester, Fischer, and Sullivan are to be commended for their hard work to approve
17:14 essential air service programs for small and rural communities who need important economic
17:20 lifelines to have aviation in their community.
17:23 We authorized a record $1.7 billion for that program.
17:28 And overall, airport infrastructure is getting a big boost, too.
17:33 Thank you to Senators Peters and Baldwin and Warnock for championing making sure that airports
17:39 dispose of harmful chemicals that are harmful to all of us.
17:44 And I want to thank Senators Hickenlooper, who was chairing the president presiding today,
17:49 Senator Rosen, Moran, Thune, Young, Warner, and Wicker that usher in the next generation
17:55 of technologies for aviation, not just drones and air mobility aircraft, but also the research
18:02 and development necessary to see the electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft industry take
18:08 off in the future.
18:10 Companies like Xero, Avia in my state, or Universal Hydrogen are leading the way with
18:17 the next generation of strategies that will help us make these technologies a reality.
18:24 I just will say, too, that this legislation gives the FAA the direction to provide safe
18:30 operating standards for advanced air mobility and safety for the 2028 Olympics, coming soon
18:40 in Los Angeles.
18:42 And I also thank Senators Thune and Warner for their legislation creating a pathway for
18:49 drones to operate beyond the visual line of sight, which we've also included in this bill.
18:56 And to make sure Senator Rosen's hard work on the legislation for grants so states can
19:02 improve the U.S. manufactured drones inspect and repair critical infrastructure.
19:09 So my colleagues can see that this legislation is full of safety improvements.
19:16 It helps address a huge part of our U.S. economy.
19:20 It helps make the aviation system today work better and guarantee that we are going to
19:26 continue to focus on this for the future.
19:30 So I thank all my colleagues.
19:32 I urge them to support the motion to move forward on this legislation that we will be
19:38 taking shortly and get this to the House before the May 10th deadline.
19:44 It is great bipartisan work, bicameral work, but most importantly, it is safety improvements
19:52 for our aviation system.
19:54 I thank the President and I yield the floor.
20:03 I ask unanimous consent that Ms. Amber Willett, a detailee from the Department of Transportation
20:08 Federal Aviation Administration, be granted floor privileges for the duration of the 118th
20:12 Congress.
20:13 Without objection.