The Senate confirmed Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford as FAA administrator on Wednesday in a vote marked by rare partisan division, as concerns over pilot training standards and aviation safety dominated the debate.
Bedford was confirmed mostly along party lines by a vote of 53-43. The confirmation vote for FAA administrator was unusually partisan as key Democrats vowed to not support Bedford after he refused to commit to upholding the 1,500-hour rule when asked during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on June 11.
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen was the only Democrat to vote in favor of Bedford.
Congress instituted the 1,500-hour training requirement rule for pilots to operate a commercial aircraft following the fatal 2009 Colgan Air cr