[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 175 (Tuesday, October 24, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Nomination of Michael G. Whitaker

  Mr. SCHATZ. Madam President, a quick note about the business pending 
before the Senate: leadership at the FAA, the Federal Aviation 
Administration.
  It has been more than 18 months since the FAA last had a Senate-
confirmed leader, and in that time, we have seen an alarming number of 
close calls on runways and operational challenges, including the outage 
of the critical Notice to Air Missions system. Compounding these issues 
is a shortage of air traffic controllers that has led to flight delays 
and cancelations.
  The FAA urgently needs a permanent leader to address these concurrent 
challenges and guarantee the safety of travelers. Michael Whitaker is 
that leader, and I am glad that the Senate is going to confirm him over 
the next day or so.