President Joe Biden will nominate a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew March after running into opposition from Republican senators.

The White House said Thursday that Biden will nominate Michael G. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator at the FAA, and currently the chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate working to develop an air taxi aircraft.

Whitaker’s nomination had been expected for months, and Biden’s announcement was praised by several industry and labor groups.

The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nation’s airspace, has been run by back-to-back acting administrators since March 2022.

  • @reddig33
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    21 year ago

    Ridiculous that it takes three years to get someone in office. Why does the senate get any say in these nominations?

    • Heresy_generator
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      1 year ago

      Separation of powers. Imagine if Trump was just allowed to stack the federal government with whoever he wanted with no qualifications or oversight; we’d end up with shit like Secretary of State Don Jr., Attorney General Rudy, and Secretary of Defense Erik Prince or Stewart Rhodes.