Following months of stalled-out proceedings in the U.S. Senate, President Joe Biden Tuesday renominated longtime transit official Phillip A. Washington to the position of administrator of the FAA.
Biden originally nominated Washington to the position last July to fill the post vacated by former administrator Stephen Dickson. Dickson abruptly announced his resignation last February, halfway through a five-year term.Â
Billy Nolen has served in the role of acting FAA Administrator since April 2022.
Washington, who was named CEO of Denver International Airport (KDEN) in the summer of 2021, has been noted to be a unique pick for the post, as he is not a former airline pilot, aviation industry executive, or U.S. Air Force official. Following a U.S. Army career that spanned more than two decades, Washington has largely worked in ground transportation.
“Prior to this, Washington was the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). At Metro, Washington managed a budget of more than $8 billion and oversaw 11,000 employees that transported 1.2 million boarding passengers daily on a fleet of 2,200 clean-air buses and six rail lines,” the White House said in announcing his nomination ;ast summer. “Washington also previously served as the CEO of Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and worked as the Assistant General Manager of RTD for nearly 10 years before being named CEO.”
Washington’s nomination was one of several that failed to advance in the Senate in recent months. Biden also renominated his picks for a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) member, ambassador to India and the head of the Internal Revenue Service that had also been left without approval, Reuters reported.
