WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the Senate Commerce Committee today, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Deputy Secretary to the Department of Transportation, Steven Bradbury, outlined his plans to address key issues facing the Department. During his nomination hearing, Mr. Bradbury shared his commitment to supporting DOT’s safety and efficiency mission by upholding legal authorities, collaborating with Congress, enhancing aviation safety, advancing regulatory reforms, and ensuring transparency.

(WATCH)

In response to a question from Sen. Cruz on restoring confidence in air travel and maintaining a safe national airspace, Mr. Bradbury said:

“We need to bring resources to bear immediately. I think the secretary has indicated he's doing this to review all of the safety systems we use in air traffic control in the FAA. We need to upgrade those systems. There's been a lot of talk for decades about improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the systems, making sure we have up to date technical systems for the FAA and yet we still see that systems are obsolete. They haven't performed the way they need to perform…the process of upgrading is too slow. We need somehow to break through. We need new thinking on it. I think that's what the secretary is focused on very keenly. But we also, Mr. Chairman need to improve, expand the capacity of the training of new air traffic controllers, get the best and brightest in there. And we have to take a hard look at that process and the capabilities of our air traffic controllers. So, we still have the safest air system in the world, but we cannot fall down on the job. And these recent disasters are just a horrible reminder that we need to be constantly vigilant because we have a zero tolerance for commercial air disasters.”

In response to Sen. Blackburn’s question on national security and economic concerns over Chinese products, particularly EVs, due to data collection risks, Mr. Bradbury said:

“This is a real serious concern, not just in the particular areas that you referenced, senator, but across the board with lots of Chinese products coming into the US, including EVs and other products and the components that go into them. It's a national security concern in terms of sensors collecting data and where does that data go, who controls it, is it the CCP, etc. But it's also an economic concern because these products are often subsidized by the Chinese government and undercutting US industry and potentially gutting US industry. So, it's a very serious concern. I know the president is very focused on that. And I look forward, if I'm fortunate to be confirmed, to helping support that effort.”

In response to Sen. Schmitt’s request to streamline and reform the NEPA process to expedite permitting for infrastructure projects, Mr. Bradbury said:

“Absolutely, we have a real opportunity to undertake some fundamental review and reform of the NEPA process and the permitting. Obviously, it's a critical priority for the president because infrastructure projects depend on those permits getting efficiently resolved so that the projects can move forward. The president has issued an order to ensure that that happens. I think there's going to be a complete review of the regulations across the executive branch. Each department and agency with an important stake in infrastructure projects will be redoing their NEPA regulations. And I look forward to working with CEQ, Council of Environmental Quality, at the White House, and all the other departments and agencies and across government effort to streamline NEPA. And there's a lot that can be done to streamline it and focus the review on the types of issues that I think congress intended when it conceived of NEPA. It should not hold up projects for years.”

In response to Sen. Moran’s question emphasizing the need for a skilled workforce to keep up with aviation technology and improve safety measures, Mr. Bradbury said:

“We are looking at it in terms of air traffic control. But as you suggest, it implicates all aspects of aviation industry and it's critical for FAA and Department of Transportation as a whole to stay up to pace with developments in technology. And I think that's a new sort of attitude and approach that's being brought to bear right now by the president and the secretary across the board. We need the latest tools; we need the latest data and data analytics and computer capabilities. I think that is what the secretary is bringing to bear in looking at the systems and ensuring that they are up to speed, improved, etc. And we need the people, the people at FAA and in the department who are capable and knowledgeable about that. So, I mean, it's a big emphasis.”

In response to Sen. Moreno’s question about the negative effects of regulations on the auto industry, Mr. Bradbury said:

“Well, regulations have costs. And those costs are passed by the manufacturers down the line to the American families, the Americans who buy those automobiles or want to try to buy those automobiles. So, the effect is on affordability of new automobiles and that's a critical issue. We want new automobiles to be affordable. We want Americans to buy more new automobiles. And it's not just to support the auto industry as an important part of our industrial base, but it's because new cars and trucks are safer, significantly safer than old used vehicles. It's -- the statistics show that. So, affordability isn't just an economic issue, it's a safety issue too.”

Mr. Bradbury received support from over 20 organizations throughout the transportation community. Read full list HERE.

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