Senator says FAA administrator failed to sell multimillion-dollar airline stake as promised

By JOSH FUNK The head of the Federal Aviation Administration has not sold off his multimillion-dollar stake in the airline he led since despite a promise to do so as part of his ethics agreement according to a Democratic senator Related Articles New coins will commemorate th anniversary of American independence Here s how they ll look Trump pardoned them for Jan Now they want millions of dollars House votes to nullify Trump order and restore bargaining rights for federal workers US seizure of rogue oil tanker off Venezuela signals new crackdown on shadow fleet House squashes second attempt to impeach Trump from Rep Al Green In a letter to Bryan Bedford this week Sen Maria Cantwell explained he vowed to sell all his shares in Republic Airways within of his confirmation but days have now passed In Bedford s financial disclosures he estimated that his Republic stock was worth somewhere between million and million Republic completed a merger last month with another major regional airline Mesa Air Group Republic s stock closed Thursday at nearly double what it was before the deal was publicized in April It appears you continue to retain essential equity in this conflicting asset months past the deadline set to fully divest from Republic which constitutes a clear violation of your ethics agreement This is unacceptable and demands a full accounting Cantwell disclosed in the letter Bedford declined a request for comment and an FAA spokesperson declared he plans to respond directly to Cantwell The agency has been in the spotlight since January when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington D C killing people The research has already highlighted shortcomings at the FAA which failed to recognize an alarming number of close calls around Reagan National Airport in the years beforehand Then in the spring technical problems at the center that directs planes into New Jersey s Newark Liberty International Airport highlighted a fragile and outdated system relied on by air traffic controllers And in the fall a longstanding shortage of controllers led to thousands of flight cancellations and delays during the longest administration shutdown ever as more controllers missed work while going without a paycheck Bedford has pledged to prioritize safety and upgrade the nation s outdated air traffic control system Congress approved billion for that project and last week the FAA picked the company that will oversee the work