President Joe Biden's choice for the head of the Federal Aviation Administration withdrew his nomination after the Senate didn't get enough support to move the appointment out of committee.
In July 2022, Phillip Washington, the CEO of Denver International Airport, was nominated for the position by the president, but has faced opposition because of questions surrounding his qualifications.
While Democrats and allied independents could have pushed Washington's nomination through, key senators on their side reportedly backed Republicans over his lack of aviation experience, according to The Associated Press.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Washington's withdrawal in a tweet late Saturday night, calling him an excellent nominee while expressing disappointment with partisan attacks and procedural obstruction. Washington's fate appeared to be sealed last Wednesday when Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. called off a scheduled vote at the last minute. Biden was nominated for Washington last summer, but a committee hearing was not held until this month.
According to The AP, a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., was holding up the nomination and had indicated her opposition. Sinema and Sen. Jon Tester, a moderate Democrat from Montana, have refused to share how they would have voted.
Republican senators publicly expressed concerns with his resume as his only experience in aviation is that of his position as CEO of the Denver Airport, which he was appointed in July 2021, he was appointed to that position in July 2021. He previously ran transit agencies in Los Angeles and Denver 2009 -- 2015 In 2020, and led Biden's transition team for the Transportation Department, which includes the FAA. He was able to lead a panel of experts who advised the president on the direction of federal transportation policy and agencies.
Fox Business reached out to the White House for comment about the withdrawal, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
On Saturday night, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told The AP that this is not the time to confirm an administrator who needs on-the-job training because the FAA is facing significant challenges. The Biden administration must now name someone who will lead the FAA who has an extensive aviation background, can earn bipartisan support in the Senate, and will keep the flying public safe, Cruz said.
Cruz led the opposition against Washington, and said FAA administrator Billy Nolen, a pilot with safety experience at three airlines and the FAA, would be a better nomination. He said Nolen could win bipartisan support.
Washington has said he did nothing wrong and hasn't been contacted by law enforcement because of the fact that Washington's name was found in search warrants related to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles.
The FAA has not had a Senate confirmation for the past year.
After a surge in close calls between planes this year and a technology failure in January that resulted in temporarily cancelling all takeoffs around the country, the FAA is working to assure Americans that air travel is safe.
It is working to repair its reputation after approving Boeing planes that crashed in 2018 and 2019.