Hearing Report: Lawmakers Question Bedford about ATC Reform and 1,500-Hour Rule
June 11, 2025
Lawmakers today questioned Bryan Bedford about air traffic control reform, the 1,500-hour pilot training rule, and small community issues at a Senate Commerce Committee nomination hearing. President Trump nominated Bedford to serve as FAA Administrator at a time when the agency is reeling from high-profile aviation incident and is taking steps to reform the air traffic control system and boost controller hiring.Bedford has served as President and CEO of Republic Airways since 1999. Prior to joining Republic, he served as President and CEO of Mesaba Holdings Inc. in Minneapolis and Business Express Airlines Inc. in Boston. During today’s hearing, Senator Todd Young (R-IN), who introduced the nominee, said Bedford turned Republic around and increased the airline’s annual revenue from $85 million to $3 billion.
Witness: FAA Administrator Nominee Bryan Bedford
ATC Reform
- Bedford said that the $12.5 billion that House and Senate lawmakers are proposing for ATC reform as part of the reconciliation process is a good down payment. But he argued that fixing the system will require “significantly more investment.” He also suggested that ATC reform will take “single digit years, not decades” to complete.
- Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) asked Bedford to explain his views on ATC privatization – an issue that has cropped up during discussions on ATC reform. Bedford threw cold water on the idea of reopening the debate and pointed out that stakeholders already spent three years discussing this controversial topic.
“Now's not the time for that debate,” Bedford said. “Now's the time to focus on getting the work done for the American people to rebuild this system. And that is President Trump's vision.” - Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) discussed the need to make major investments in FAA facilities and to upgrade outdated ATC towers including a 62-year-old tower at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Bedford vowed to work with Peters to make sure all sides are “on the same page.”
- Democratic senators including full committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) grilled Bedford over his position on the 1,500-hour rule and suggested that he should recuse himself of any potential petition from Republic to change the pilot training rule.
Bedford tried to downplay the controversial topic by telling lawmakers that his top priorities are to modernize the ATC system and address controller challenges. He also said he supports “structured training as opposed to pure time building,” which he argued “produces safter outcome and more proficient pilots.” - Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) made a pitch for raising the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots to help reduce flight delays. Bedford responded by saying that many experienced pilots “still have a lot of gas in the tank” and want to serve and mentor. He also suggested that an arbitrary retirement age is not the right answer. Congress debated the topic during consideration of the FAA reauthorization bill, but the final bill kept the mandatory retirement age at 65 instead of raising it to 67.
- Bedford voiced his familiarity and strong support for the FAA Contract Tower Program after receiving questions from Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Aviation Subcommittee Jerry Moran (R-KS). Bedford old lawmakers that he and “thousands and thousands of student pilots” count on FCT airports for their training.
“They rely on these contract towers, almost exclusively for their flight training,” Bedford said. “So, they're a very vital component of the ecosystem here in the United States. - Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) raised objections to the administration’s plan to cut Essential Air Service funding by $308 million in Fiscal Year 2026. Bedford told Peters about the need to keep EAS communities connected. But he discussed rising costs and suggested that there are more “cost effective and affordable ways” to provide service to small communities.
- Senator Young (R-IN) argued for affordable housing near airports and asked Bedford if he would be willing to “explore potential partnerships with housing professionals, airport authorities and municipal stakeholders to develop workforce housing solutions in areas that are outside of FAA restricted areas, but within Airport Authority or municipally owned land.” Bedford suggested that FAA could serve as a “good partner in the evaluation process.”
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