Bradbury nomination moving to a full Senate vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), cleared President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Steven Bradbury, for consideration by the full Senate. Bradbury’s nomination passed the committee by a vote of 15 yeas and 13 nays.

The committee also considered the promotion of Coast Guard Lieutenant Samuel Hafensteiner to Lieutenant Commander. His promotion was reported favorably out of committee

Sen. Cruz delivered the following remarks on Bradbury’s nomination:

“The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will come to order.  Today, the Committee will consider two matters: the promotion of Coast Guard Lieutenant Samuel Hafensteiner to Lieutenant Commander and the nomination of Steven Bradbury to be Deputy Secretary of Transportation.

“At Mr. Bradbury’s confirmation hearing last week, I expressed dismay that, in the past month, there have been fatal aircraft accidents here in Washington, D.C., in Pennsylvania, in Alaska, and in Arizona.  This week, we had another close call at Chicago’s Midway Airport when a small jet on the ground entered a runway without authorization as an incoming flight was landing.  Now more than ever, it’s essential for the Department of Transportation to have officials who understand the systems they are tasked with managing and who can assess whether such incidents have a systemic cause.

“As the former General Counsel of DOT, Mr. Bradbury will bring a deep understanding of how the Department and our transportation systems operate.  He is intimately familiar with the Department’s past attempts to address transportation challenges, such as aviation safety, and has learned from his experiences.  This background will be invaluable in his new role, when he is confirmed.

“Mr. Bradbury is also a forward-thinking and receptive leader.  My colleagues have raised questions about the role of outside voices at DOT, especially in light of Secretary Duffy’s decision to invite representatives from external organizations to visit the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center.  But as our nominee reminds us, it’s often a good thing when bureaucracy is open to new voices and ideas—to new efficiencies.  Otherwise, the tried-and-true approach will become tried-and-tarnished.  It boggles the mind to think in an era of autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence, the FAA is still using paper printouts and floppy disks to manage air traffic. 

“Mr. Bradbury knows that efficiency and safety go hand in hand.  Consider one exchange from the hearing last week. 

“We heard that newer cars are safer cars.  But after years of mandates and overregulation, cars have become so expensive that the average car’s years on the road is at a record high. 

“So I’m glad Mr. Bradbury will similarly prioritize federal funding to infrastructure projects that provide the most benefit per dollar.  Americans are calling on the political class to cut out the bloat and get back to the basics, like potholes and safety.

“For all these reasons and others, I support Mr. Bradbury and urge my colleagues to do likewise.”

Senators and leaders from America’s transportation community previously expressed their support for Bradbury’s nomination.

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