Labor Issue is Confirmation Hurdle for FAA Nominee
President Bush's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration has run into a snag in the Senate. Bush's FAA choice, Marion C. Blakey, currently the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, received a warm reception at her Sept. 4 confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. But panel members also indicated that an unresolved labor contract with some 2,000 unionized FAA employees is holding up her confirmation.
Key issues facing the new FAA chief include next year's reauthorization of the federal airport grant and other aviation programs, whether to streamline approvals for new runways, and working on airport security issues with the Transportation Security Administration.