Sen. Cruz On Biden’s Controversial FAA Nominee: He Has ‘Zero Experience In Aviation Or Aviation Safety’

On Monday, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) slammed President Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Phil Washington, pointing out that he has no experience in aviation or aviation safety.

“What the Biden administration is doing here is they’ve nominated him because some Colorado Democrats care about putting him in this position,” Cruz said on a new episode of his podcast “Verdict.” “Several Democrats have expressed concerns.”

“And I got to say, look, let’s say you’re a Democrat senator and let’s say you’re up for re-election in 2024 as a whole bunch of them are. Do you really want to cast a vote to confirm an FAA Administrator with zero experience in aviation or aviation safety?” he continued. “You know, listen, if God forbid, in the next two years there’s an airline crash — and look, we’ve had a series of near misses. This position has not had a Senate-confirmed administrator in a year because the Biden administration doesn’t prioritize it.”

“Instead, they’re using it as a political benefit, as a gift, a patronage job,” Cruz said. “Look, we ought to have an FAA administrator in there right now who knows what he or she is doing and is examining why are these near misses happening and how can we prevent them from happening? But if you’re a Democrat senator, and God forbid, there is an airline crash, do you really want to be going to your voters saying, ‘Yeah, I voted to put in place a guy who had no idea what he was doing. And now a bunch of people [have lost their lives]?’”

“The Biden White House is putting politics above the safety of you and your kids,” he added.