FILE - Michael Whitaker, of Vermont, testifies during his nomination to be administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, Oct. 4, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate voted 98-0 to approve Whitaker, President Joe Bidens nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Tuesday, Oct. 24, ending a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport, March 16, 2017, in New York. The Senate voted 98-0 to approve Michael Whitaker, President Joe Bidens nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, ending a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
FILE - Michael Whitaker, of Vermont, testifies during his nomination to be administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, Oct. 4, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate voted 98-0 to approve Whitaker, President Joe Bidens nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Tuesday, Oct. 24, ending a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
WASHINGTON – The Senate voted 98-0 to approve President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday, ending a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief.
Michael Whitaker is a former deputy FAA administrator and most recently served as chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate that is developing an air taxi.
Whitaker's confirmation seemed assured last week, when members of the Senate Commerce Committee endorsed him unanimously.
On the Senate floor Tuesday, committee chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said Whitaker's priorities will be to "build a strong safety culture, attract new talent and keep pace with technology transformation.”
Whitaker was Biden's second choice for the job. The nomination of Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington languished for months, then failed to get out of the Commerce Committee because of opposition from Republicans and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
The FAA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since March 2022, when Stephen Dickson stepped down midway through his five-year term.
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