Jim Clyburn Warns FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau: ‘America Is Losing The Confidence Of Our Partners’

During Wednesday’s House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) spoke about staffing shortages at the FAA.

Transcript

00:00Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Acting Administrator Rose Schiller.

00:05I want to thank you for your service as you assume leadership of the FAA under very difficult

00:11circumstances. The purpose of today's hearing is to examine how the FAA is using its current

00:17resources and the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 funding to advance aviation safety. As Chair

00:27Womack just mentioned, last month we had an opportunity to discuss with Secretary Duffy

00:32some of the administration's proposed investments to modernize the air traffic control system.

00:40The discussion centered around the air traffic control modernization plan released last month

00:45by this administration. While the plan is a great conversation starter, it ignores the realities

00:52of cuts to FAA's staff, fair competition, overall costs, and most importantly, how we pay for it.

01:03The FAA's 2026 budget request provides nominal increases to backfill our air traffic controller

01:11workforce and sustain FAA's aging facilities and technology, all of which I support.

01:19While there are proposed resources set aside for modernizing the FAA, I am concerned that they

01:27come at the expense of advancing FAA's aviation safety research, engineering, and development

01:36programs, which are essential investments to determine the best modernization and safety solutions

01:44for the national airspace system. And though the 2026 budget request proposes hiring up to 2500 new air

01:54traffic controllers, it does not consider challenges with academy success or retention rates and early

02:03retirements among our existing controllers workforce. Meanwhile, with the constant shifts in tariffs,

02:11America is losing the confidence of our partners to deliver an improved air traffic control system and cost-effective

02:19aviation manufacturing. American businesses, including manufacturers and suppliers, face uncertainty and

02:29increased costs as they are left in the dark. Thousands of jobs, many in high-skilled manufacturing and engineering, depend on the

02:39ability of United States aircraft manufacturers and suppliers to access global markets on fair and reliable terms.

02:52This is especially true for manufacturing in my own district and home state of South Carolina.

03:01Our aviation supply chain system requires certainty from our global partners and the trust that we can deliver

03:09state-of-the-art transportation and airports. Mr. Secretary, I strongly support robust investments in aviation,

03:18but we need to know that the administration's supplemental air traffic control plan and budget request

03:25is backed by action and based on current realities. I remain concerned that we have yet to see the full

03:35potential of existing FAA resources being used to address our most immediate threats brought forward by Asian

03:43technology and staff in South Falls at the FAA. Mr. Chairman, it is our duty on the subcommittee to continue helping the

03:53FAA modernize its air traffic control system. And in a year where we need to see more robust investments in FAA,

04:03my hope is that it does not come at the expense of strengthening safety for other modes of

04:10transportation or keeping our seniors and working families housed. I look forward to learning more about

04:18how we can work together to support the advancement of the FAA. I look forward to hearing your testimony and yield the balance of my time.

04:27And now you're back. Thank you.

04:37You