Biden FAA Nominee Withdraws Amid Serious Questions of Merit

The parade of Biden nominees that have had their turn in a Senate “hotseat” since 2021, have been at once an DEI dream and a GOP nightmare. The GOP wants to consider only the qualifications of the nominees – not their sexual preference or skin color – as Biden so obviously does.

The most recent example of this frightful policy, Phil Washington, nominated to head the Federal Aviation Administration, may also be one of the most egregious. The nominee in question knows nothing about the department he is nominated to head, yet he already runs an international airport, with said limited knowledge and experience in aviation.

He went 0 for 7 on basic questions concerning the safety and regulation of the department he is nominated to run. The questions from Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), are as follows:

Senator: Can you quickly tell me what airspace requires an ADS-B transponder?

NOMINEE: Not sure I can answer that right now.

Senator: What are the 6 types of special use airspace that protect this national security, that appear on FAA charts?

NOMINEE: Sorry, Senator, I cannot answer that question.

Senator: What are the operational limitations of a pilot flying under BasicMed?

NOMINEE: High blood pressure…etc… (wrong)

Senator: Can you tell me what causes an aircraft to spin or to stall?

NOMINEE: I’m not a pilot, but I would lean on our career employees and our safety folks within the FAA.

Senator: What are the 3 aircraft certifications the FAA requires as part of the manufacturing process? [nominee stalls] Do you know the 3 types?

NOMINEE: No.

Senator: Can you tell me what the minimum separation distance is for landing and departing airliners during the daytime?

NOMINEE: I don’t want to guess on that, Senator.

Senator: Are you familiar with the difference between part 107 and part 44809 when it comes to unmanned aerial standards, like, drones?

NOMINEE: No, I cannot…

Biden Nominee for FAA Chief goes 0-for-7 on Aviation Policy Quiz by Senator Ted Budd.

Yes, 0 for 7.

The nominee withdrew last night.

Victory.pic.twitter.com/ORoo11cHpo

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 27, 2023

Reuters: President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who withdrew from [sic] consideration, said Monday he did not see a path forward for winning approval.

Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington said in a statement Monday, he had written to Biden on Friday to withdraw. “I no longer saw a respectful, civil, and viable path forward to Senate confirmation. I faced cheap and unfounded partisan attacks and procedural obstruction with regard to my military career that would have further lengthened the already delayed confirmation process,” Washington said.

Senate Republicans said Washington was unqualified to serve citing his limited aviation experience. Democrats were forced to cancel a planned committee vote on his confirmation last week after some Democrats had additional questions about his nomination. End Reuters.

It would appear the effort to expose Washington as another nominee unfit for the job Biden expected the Senate to confirm him for, has been successful, but we aren’t holding our breath for a more qualified individual to be put up instead.