Biden FAA nominee withdraws amid pushback from GOP senators, Sinema

President Biden suffered a setback over the weekend after his nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration withdrew from consideration amid pushback from Senate Republicans and Sen. Kyrsten of Arizona, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington was unable to advance from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee over concerns that he was “unqualified” because he lacks aviation experience.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg described the opposition as “partisan attacks and procedural obstruction” in a tweet over the weekend, confirming that Mr. Washington withdrew his name from consideration to run the FAA.

The aviation industry has been under scrutiny in recent months following transportation woes, including travel mayhem from canceled flights.

“The FAA has a $24 billion budget, about 45,000 employees and the responsibility to oversee the most complex aviation system in the world,” Ms. Sinema said at a recent congressional hearing. “Aviation experience is important for this position, and the federal law listing the requirements for the FAA administrator states the ‘nominee must have experience in a field directly related to aviation.’”