Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford Confirmed to Lead FAA in Divisive Senate Vote

Bedford’s confirmation for FAA administrator was unusually partisan as key Democrats expressed concerns with his stances on pilot training.

The Senate confirmed Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford as FAA administrator on Wednesday in a vote marked by rare partisan division, as concerns over pilot training standards and aviation safety dominated the debate.

Bedford was confirmed mostly along party lines by a vote of 53-43. The confirmation vote for FAA administrator was unusually partisan as key Democrats vowed to not support Bedford after he refused to commit to upholding the 1,500-hour rule when asked during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on June 11.

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen was the only Democrat to vote in favor of Bedford.

Congress instituted the 1,500-hour training requirement rule for pilots to operate a commercial aircraft following the fatal 2009 Colgan Air cr