Democratic senators on Thursday questioned Steven Bradbury, President Trump’s nominee for deputy secretary of the Transportation Department, regarding his handling of the congressional investigation into two Boeing Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019, as well as his safety record during his previous tenure at the agency.
The Boeing investigation took place during Mr. Trump’s first administration, when Mr. Bradbury, 66, served as general counsel of the Transportation Department from late 2017 through January 2021. In this capacity, he oversaw the agency’s legal work and coordinated its legislative efforts and regulatory programs.
An investigative report, directed by Senator Roger Wicker, then chairman of the Senate commerce committee, alleges that Mr. Bradbury’s office obstructed the investigation by preventing interviews with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees who had crucial information and withholding requested documents.
According to the report, due to interference from Mr. Bradbury’s office, the Senate committee’s investigators were “unable to effectively engage directly with the F.A.A. on document requests or related questions, despite repeated requests and assurances.”
During the hearing, Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, criticized Mr. Bradbury’s record of “using the law selectively to predetermine” desired outcomes during his time at the department and at the Justice Department’s Office of the Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2009.
Ms. Cantwell stated, “You were responsible for overseeing the department’s regulatory actions and implementing President Trump’s regulatory reform agenda,” adding that Mr. Bradbury orchestrated the rollback of multiple safety requirements under the guise of advancing a reform agenda.
In defense of his previous role, Mr. Bradbury claimed that his office was overwhelmed by requests for information from Congress and that he aimed to ensure the agency’s responses were complete before replying.
Mr. Bradbury stated, “What we were doing was attempting to facilitate the response to the oversight requests, not impede them, not block them or stonewall the requests.”
If confirmed, Mr. Bradbury would assist in managing the agency’s operations, including the FAA.
Senator Wicker, who remains on the committee, did not attend the hearing, leaving uncertain whether the Boeing matter would influence his support for Mr. Bradbury.
During the 90-minute hearing, Mr. Bradbury addressed various topics related to aviation and roadway safety, indicating openness to raising the commercial pilot retirement age while expressing hesitancy about mandating certain safety technologies in autonomous vehicles.
He emphasized his government experience, countering criticism regarding his role in the Boeing investigation and his connections to Project 2025, a conservative policy plan developed by the Heritage Foundation, where he currently works. He was noted as a contributor to sections of the plan concerning transportation.
Senate committee members from both parties repeatedly inquired whether he would support ending the Transportation Department program known as the Essential Air Service, which subsidizes approximately 170 small airports nationwide that could not operate independently. Project 2025 suggests that “ending the program would free hundreds of pilots to serve larger markets with more passengers.”
Mr. Bradbury acknowledged that he had not personally authored sections about the Essential Air Service in the report but recognized the program's importance and affirmed that the agency should continue to support it.
The Boeing investigation remains a sensitive issue for the families of victims from the Max crashes. Some families sent a letter prior to the confirmation hearing to Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and chairman of the Senate commerce committee, expressing concerns about Mr. Bradbury’s nomination.
The letter, authored by Javier de Luis, who lost his sister in one of the crashes, and signed by members of five other families, stated, “We believe that when it comes to safety, everyone must commit to being transparent and up front, not just with Congress, but with the flying public. We are asking for that commitment from him.”
In addition to the two Boeing 737 Max crashes—Lion Air flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 in 2019—that resulted in a total of 346 fatalities, a panel blew off the body of a Boeing plane operated by Alaska Airlines last year.
The agency’s current leader, Sean Duffy, has pledged to hold Boeing accountable and restore public trust.
A vote on Mr. Bradbury’s nomination has yet to be scheduled.