Senate confirms Bryan Bedford as new Federal Aviation Administration chief

Bedford will work alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to "reform" the FAA after it faced scrutiny over a series of high profile crashes, including the midair collision above the Potomac River on Jan. 29.

By Misty Severi

Published: July 9, 2025 4:23pm

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford as the new head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a party-line vote.

President Donald Trump nominated Bedford for the role in March. Bedford will work alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to "reform" the FAA after it faced scrutiny over a series of high-profile crashes, including the midair collision over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, near the Reagan National Airport, which killed 67 people.

Bedford was confirmed in a 53-43 vote, which comes after Senate Democrats warned that the new leader did not commit to maintaining current standards on matters like pilot training hours, per Politico.

Republicans have argued that Bedford's three decades of leadership experience in aviation is important given the recent struggles and criticism of the industry.

Acting-FAA Chief Chris Rocheleau, who took the reins after the January crash, will now become deputy administrator.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.