Washington, D.C. — The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Steve Cohen (D-TN), during today’s hearing titled, “FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation.”
Video of Ranking Members Larsen’s and Cohen’s opening statements can be found here and here.
More information on the hearing can be found here.
Ranking Member Larsen:
Thank you, Chairman Graves, for calling the hearing today on the implementation of the 2024 FAA law.
In response to these challenges that aviation faces over the last few years, Congress did rise to the occasion.
This Committee engaged in a thorough process, where we negotiated and compromised to reach a bipartisan, bicameral solution to deliver for the flying public.
I want to thank today’s witnesses as well for providing critical input to the T&I Committee during that time as we worked through this process, from the bill’s introduction to final passage.
Whether supporting the integration of new entrants in the airspace or overseeing the FAA’s commitment to a safer and more efficient national airspace, your enthusiasm, Chairman Graves, your expertise and your partnership will be missed. We will all miss that.
I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
The passage of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization was only the first step in ensuring that the United States remains the gold standard in aviation safety, efficiency, and innovation.
For instance, the law will increase the safety and efficiency of our airspace and help prevent the close calls and near misses on airport runways across the country.
An FAA NAS Safety Review Team report on this found that air traffic controller staff shortages actively erode the margin of safety in the national airspace.
To address these workforce and safety concerns, the law includes several provisions directing the FAA to hire the maximum number of controllers annually, improve its controller staffing model and expand the deployment of surface surveillance and detection equipment at U.S. airports.
The law also calls on the FAA to take decisive actions to address aging FAA air traffic control legacy systems.
These crucial reforms will ultimately enhance the long-term efficiency and safety of our national airspace system while creating good-paying aviation jobs.
Passenger safety also depends on worker safety.
As we emerged from the pandemic and air travel demand surged, there were an alarming number of unruly passenger incidents—endangering flight crews and passengers alike.
To address this threat, the law created a task force to prevent such assaults and mandated airlines to establish employee assault and response plans.
Meanwhile, recent flight disruptions have shaken the flying public’s confidence in air travel.
For example, earlier this year, certain air carriers were unable to cope with a global IT outage, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
To get us back on the right trajectory, the law requires airlines to provide full cash refunds to consumers affected by delayed or cancelled flights and develop policies addressing reimbursement for passengers for hotel and meal costs when a flight is cancelled or significantly delayed.
While reimbursing passengers affected by flight disruptions is one way to protect consumers, we have to do more to ensure every passenger can travel safely and with dignity.
The FAA reauthorization improves training for airline personnel and contractors to better assist travelers with disabilities and directs the DOT to create a roadmap for airlines to reduce damage to wheelchairs and mobility aids.
The law also increases funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) from $3.35 billion to $4 billion annually, of which at least $150 million in discretionary funds—the largest portion that’s ever been required before—are to be spent on airport climate, noise and other environmental impacts.
Moreover, AIP funding can now be used to invest in the infrastructure for alternative propulsion technologies, by allowing airports to fund the development of hydrogen and electrification infrastructure necessary to support new aircraft.
Finally, the law improves the lives of neighboring airport communities by requiring the FAA to develop a plan to transition away from leaded fuel in general aviation by 2030 and takes action to mitigate the impacts of aviation noise across the country.
Lastly, I want to talk about the talent pool. The FAA Reauthorization made robust investments in the American aviation workforce, providing resources to expand and strengthen the talent pool—a requirement for American innovation.
For instance, the law invests $60 million annually in aviation workforce development grants to grow the next generation of aviation manufacturers, manufacturing workers, maintenance technicians and pilots.
The current and future challenges facing the U.S. aviation system are significant but not insurmountable.
I believe, together, we all can meet these challenges.
Congress did its job in passing the 2024 FAA Reauthorization this past May.
Now we must ensure the FAA and DOT do their jobs by effectively implementing the programs and fulfilling the various provisions.
I would note, and I want to emphasize what the Chair said, our vote here in the House was 387-26 and the Senate was 88-4. We know that there was strong bipartisan, bicameral support for the FAA Reauthorization. The FAA and the DOT knows the job it needs to do because Congress told the FAA and the DOT the job it needs to do over the next several years. As the new administration comes on board, we want to help the administration move forward on the work that we assigned to the DOT and the FAA so we can all be successful in doing the work on which Congress provided clear direction.
I look forward to hearing from today’s witnesses regarding the FAA and DOT’s progress on implementation of the 2024 FAA reauthorization law.
Thank you.
Ranking Member Cohen:
Thank you, Chairman Graves. It’s been an honor to serve alongside you on this Subcommittee these past two years. Your leadership both on this committee and in Congress will surely be missed.
While the 118th Congress is on track to become one of the least productive in U.S. history, that is not the case in this Committee, where earlier this year we passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan, long-term FAA reauthorization bill.
It has now been over six months since FAA reauthorization was signed into law, so it is time to ensure the law is being expeditiously implemented.
The bill aimed to address numerous challenges facing our aviation system.
These include the modernization of safety and technology infrastructure, the integration of new entrants into U.S. skies, the shortage of air traffic controllers, and the poor treatment of airline passengers, especially passengers with disabilities.
Our witnesses today come from across the aviation sector, and they will provide valuable insights into the status of various provisions in the law.
One provision particularly important to me is to implement the overdue NTSB recommendation requiring airplanes flying long overwater routes to have better black box technology, which would allow investigators to recover flight data and cockpit recordings without needing to search the ocean floor.
Two technologies can make this possible. One is data streaming through satellites, which sends black box data in real-time. The other is Deployable Flight Data Recorder, which float on water after a crash.
A major aircraft manufacturer is already using this technology, making it much faster and easier for investigators to access critical information.
With the advanced technology available today, this is a “no-brainer,” so I am happy this is now law.
The Committee has taken great strides to improve transparency for the flying public and ensure our safety investigators have the information needed to prevent accidents, so it’s important to me that this provision is implemented adequately.
As we begin the 119th Congress in January, this Subcommittee will conduct ongoing oversight of the FAA, and we look forward to ensuring full compliance with the law.
We will also work to provide the resources necessary for the FAA to carry out its statutory authority and to enact any additional legislation necessary to ensure the safety and efficiency of our nation’s airspace.
Thank you to our witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to our discussion.
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