Senate Commerce Committee hears nomination of Stephen Bradbury for DOT deputy secretary

The Senate Commerce Committee convened to consider the nomination of Stephen Bradbury to be deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, with committee leaders emphasizing aviation safety, congressional oversight and agency efficiency.

Committee chair said the deputy secretary would be the department's "second command," responsible for day-to-day operations and implementing safety policies. "I've made it clear that safety, particularly in the aviation sector, must be his foremost priority," the chair said, adding that Bradbury is prepared to be forthcoming with Congress in line with requests from the committee.

Bradbury was described to the committee as having served as DOT general counsel from 2017 to 2021 and briefly as acting secretary. As DOT's chief legal counsel, he "supervised a team of over 500 attorneys and support staff," oversaw rulemaking and enforcement and led regulatory reforms the speaker said saved the department $98,000,000,000 in 2020. The committee speaker also noted Bradbury received the secretary's Distinguished Service Award and that his private-practice work included matters such as an airline merger and a major automotive recall. The nominee also clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

The chair told the committee that Bradbury would work closely with Secretary Duffy on safety and infrastructure investment and said Bradbury was ready to eliminate "nonstatutory policy objectives" that the speaker characterized as detracting from DOT's core safety mission. The chair said he has received more than 20 letters of support from transportation groups representing aviation, trucking, ports and waterways and voiced his personal support: "I too support his confirmation."

The hearing record in the provided transcript ends with the chair recognizing the committee's ranking member for opening remarks; the transcript does not include a committee vote or a timetable for one.

Less central procedural items and public-comment material were not included in the provided excerpt.