[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5328-S5329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Confirmation of Michael G. Whitaker

  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, last week the Senate confirmed Mike 
Whitaker to be the FAA Administrator. I supported this nomination. He 
is very qualified. He has very valuable experience.
  Obviously, this body has had a churn being able to look at previous 
FAA Administrators who came here and then were turned down in the 
process, and the administration has put forward someone who, I think, 
is very, very qualified. So I am pleased to be able to see that.
  But many people may not know Oklahoma has a very special relationship 
with FAA, and we have for 70 years. For 70 years, the Mike Monroney 
Aeronautical Center, which headquarters offices for so many different 
areas in the aeronautical center, has been in Oklahoma City. That spot 
has been there, and it establishes things like how to do testing, how 
to do research, the medical evaluation, occupational health wing, 
medical certification, a lot of education that happens there for 
aerospace. Air mobility is being tested there.
  It is 1,100 acres and 133 buildings, across the airport site there in 
Oklahoma City, and it is just one of those hidden jewels of the United 
States that is actually there in Oklahoma City. As each of our States 
have different aspects and different tasks there, Oklahoma City is 
very, very proud to be a leader in aviation for the country.
  There is also a vital component there at the FAA Academy. Now, again, 
most folks don't think about the air traffic controllers who are in the 
tower, but when you fly into any airport in the country, the folks who 
are in that tower were trained in Oklahoma City.
  It is the academy. It is the first 60 days of training, and it is 
done consistently the same it is done everywhere in the country 
because, no matter where an air traffic controller goes, you want them 
to have the same consistent training in every location that they go to. 
So whomever they work next to in the tower, they have all been trained 
the same way in the basics.
  Now, that academy is important to set the standard for all the basics 
in air

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traffic control, and then they advance to the next level. They actually 
get out on the job and to be trained by folks who are in the towers. It 
is incredibly important as a task.
  Now, for years, that academy has trained literally every single 
person that the FAA could send them. They haven't had a time where they 
were like: I am sorry. You have to stop. We can't take any more people.
  They have got gaps and openings. In fact, right now we need more air 
traffic controllers, but, thankfully, the Mike Monroney Aeronautical 
Center is ready to go. They are ready to take on more students to be 
able to expand. In fact, they have got room to double in size. If we 
wanted to double the number of air traffic controllers across the 
country, let's do it. Our challenge has been getting enough students to 
actually do it, to get the training, not actually training space or 
trainers.
  So I would tell you Oklahoma City is proud of that heritage.
  We are grateful for Mike Whitaker and the position that he is now in. 
We look forward to him being back in Oklahoma City. He has been in 
Oklahoma City multiple times in previous tasks that he has had. He 
knows full well the value of that facility, and I look forward to 
training a lot more folks to be air traffic controllers in Oklahoma 
City, in the days ahead, because our trainers and our folks who are 
there are ready to put more folks in more towers.