GROUNDED

FAA Boss Who Beefed With Musk Steps Down Before Trump Is Set to Take Over

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker, who once proposed fines for SpaceX, announced he would leave his post in January.

The administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration announced he would step down after President Joe Biden leaves office, opening up another leading position in a federal agency for President-elect Donald Trump to fill.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker announced he would resign from his position on Jan. 20, the same day Trump is inaugurated. His short term, which only began in October 2023, saw the agency take action against Boeing due to several safety concerns over their 737 MAX aircraft and draw the ire of Elon Musk after proposing fines for SpaceX.

“The United States is the safest and most complex airspace in the world, and that is because of your commitment to the safety of the flying public,” Whitaker wrote in an email sent to staff at the FAA on Thursday, according to Bloomberg Government. He called his time at the federal agency “the best and most challenging job of my career,” but offered no insight into why he decided to leave the post before the end of his five-year term in 2028.

FAA administrators typically serve a five-year term, but an administrator stepping down before the end of that term is not unheard of. Stephen Dickson, Whitaker’s Trump-appointed predecessor, resigned in 2022—just under three years after taking office in 2019.

Whitaker’s nomination received rare bipartisan support, and was confirmed by the Senate in a 98-0 vote in October 2023.

During his relatively short tenure leading the agency, Whitaker spearheaded the regulatory efforts against Boeing, including capping the production of 737 MAX aircraft after an Alaska Airlines flight lost a door panel mid-flight earlier this year.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Il), the chair of the Senate’s aviation subcommittee, said she was “saddened” by the announcement.

“[Whitaker’s] oversight of Boeing’s safety issues has been so important—and whoever replaces him must continue these efforts to keep the flying public safe,” Duckworth said in a statement posted on X.

Whitaker even received some praise from his Republican colleagues. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Politico that the FAA administrator “ably led the agency during a challenging period,” and echoed Duckworth’s sentiments about public safety efforts.

However, the FAA has frequently clashed with SpaceX, the aerospace firm founded by billionaire Trump confidante Elon Musk, including under Whitaker’s leadership. In September, the agency proposed $633,009 in fines for the company over safety issues with two launches the year before.

Whitaker defended the fines, telling a Congressional hearing “they’ve been around 20 years, and I think they need to operate at the highest level of safety and that includes adopting (a safety management system) program, that includes having a whistleblower program.”

But SpaceX disputed the fines in a letter sent to Congress, escalating the conflict with regulators. Musk himself threatened a lawsuit against the agency and called on Whitaker to resign.

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Zachary FolkFreelance Reporter

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