House Aviation Chairman Nehls Opening Statement form Hearing with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford

Washington, D.C. - Opening remarks,as prepared, of Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX) from today’s hearing entitled, “The State of American Aviation”:

I’d like to start by thanking Administrator Bedford for being here today for his first Congressional hearing since becoming Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Additionally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the fatal accident that occurred right here in Washington, D.C. on January 29th of this year that needlessly claimed the lives of 67 souls. To the families here with us today, my commitment to you remains steadfast, and I can assure you that this subcommittee will continue to do everything in its capacity to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again.

That tragedy reinvigorated everyone in the aviation industry to come together to identify and address the deficiencies, lack of communication and coordination, and neglect that all played a role in this tragedy.

While I eagerly await the results of the NTSB’s final report before taking any substantive legislative action, I am encouraged that there was immediate corrective action taken to make permanent route changes and helicopter restrictions near DCA, adjustments to air traffic control staffing and arrival flow at DCA, and ADS-B Out requirements for most aircraft near DCA’s Class Bravo Airspace to name a few.

In times like those, we are served with the stark reminder that aviation safety is a journey rather than a destination. Following that tragedy, the entire aviation industry coalesced around one phrase: “air traffic control modernization.” So, what is the state of American aviation?

From my vantage point, the state of American aviation is busy. But busy is not a bad thing. In this instance, it’s a good thing. With the promise of innovation and modernization around the corner, there is tremendous excitement around the state of American aviation. From initiatives to increase the throughput of air traffic controllers into the workforce to key rulemakings that will unleash American innovation, the Trump Administration has been busy. While they have a challenging task ahead of them, they have the support of this subcommittee.

Administrator Bedford, I believe that you are the man for the job. The task is unprecedented, but you have two documents that ought to serve as a roadmap.

The first is the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 which contained numerous provisions directing the Administration to phase out legacy systems in use across the National Airspace System (NAS) and operationalize key programs developed under the NextGen initiative.

The second is this Administration’s Air Traffic Control Modernization Plan, for which Congress appropriated $12.5 billion dollars to carry out radar replacement and a total update of the FAA’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Administrator Bedford, this subcommittee will be conducting oversight of that $12.5 billion to ensure we avoid the absolute disaster that was NextGen. The stakes are too high, and we simply can’t afford to get this wrong. We owe it to the American people and to every single AA 5342 family.

With that, Administrator Bedford, thank you for being here today, and I look forward to hearing from you on the state of American aviation.