Bradbury Maintains Safety Remains the Overriding Priority At Senate Confirmation Hearing

What’s happening: Given the recent spate of significant incidents involving aircraft, Steven Bradbury, the Trump administration’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), addressed questions at his confirmation hearing Feb. 20 about the department’s commitment to safety on the roads, rails, and in the air. If confirmed, Bradbury will serve as the equivalent of U.S. DOT’s chief operating officer under Secretary Sean Duffy. Among the highlights from Bradbury’s appearance before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee:

• In response to a question from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) about restoring the public’s faith in air travel, Bradbury said “we need to bring resources to bear immediately to review all of the safety systems we use at the [Federal Aviation Administration] FAA. We need to upgrade those systems. We still see that systems are obsolete, and the process of upgrading is too slow. Safety is paramount.”
• Sen. Deb Fischer (R- Neb.) asked Bradbury about the lack of clear guidance to state transportation departments from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on how to recover from disasters. Bradbury answered that “consistency is critical, but also making clear that the states have a strong role in deciding the use of the funds that come into them from the Highway Trust Fund. We need a focus on safety, efficiency, capacity and resilience of our infrastructure, not to be distracted by policy goals that may not be necessary.”
• Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) asked about the federal funding freeze and workforce reductions by the Trump administration. She said Congress appropriated money “to help bring our nation’s infrastructure into the 21st century,” but the funding freeze and U.S. DOT Sec. Sean Duffy’s recent suspension of electric vehicle charging programs “breaks the law.” Bradbury responded: “All of us need to follow the law. Where funding programs have some modicum of discretion, I do believe it’s very fair for the President and the Secretary to take a hard look at how that discretion has been exercised.”
• Bradbury expressed a commitment to Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to implement the rule discontinuing the manufactured products waiver on Buy America noting, “the President will have a strong emphasis on Buy America, as will his Secretary [Transportation Secretary Duffy]. He did in his first administration and I expect that to be re-doubled.”

What’s next: Bradbury served as general counsel at U.S. DOT during the first Trump administration, and more recently as a fellow at the Heritage Foundation. The committee is expected to vote on his nomination next week.