Two Republican congressmen have formally requested a Full Committee hearing to receive testimony from former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials who oversaw the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX between 2012 and 2017.
In a letter dispatched this week, Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Aviation Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) wrote to Chairmen Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) with a formal request for testimony.
“While the Boeing Organization Designation Authorization office was authorized to act for the FAA in certain matters, the FAA retained ultimate responsibility for overseeing compliance with safety regulations,” the representatives wrote. “The Committee has already heard from current FAA leadership regarding the agency’s actions before, during, and after the foreign accidents involving the 737 MAX but we believe the Committee must also hear from those in charge of the FAA when the decisions regarding the certification of the plane were made.”
They state that this would give the committee a more complete understanding of activities and decisions made during those years, which ultimately led to the flawed Boeing line. Committee hearings have so far included testimony from current FAA officials, Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board, and other aviation stakeholders.
DeFazio has so far given a verbal commitment to calling these former officials for testimony. Largely, this letter acted as a follow-up pursuing a mutually agreeable date for the full Committee to receive testimony.