Lawmakers press FAA on staffing, controller hiring and lingering shutdown effects
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Summary
Members pressed Administrator Bedford on controller staffing, the effect of the prolonged shutdown on morale and retention, and delayed grant NOFOs; Bedford said the FAA met a fiscal hiring goal, aims to hire thousands more through 2028, and has reduced a backlog of medical certification cases from over 5,000 to under 300.
Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee pressed Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Scott Bedford on staffing shortages that they say are straining the National Airspace System.
Lawmakers described understaffing at towers nationwide and said the recent government shutdown worsened an already thin controller workforce. Ranking Member Larson and others asked for transparency on the data that led the FAA to temporarily reduce flight capacity at high‑traffic airports during the shutdown; Bedford said the agency took short‑term actions to reduce controller workload and that the connection between controller workload and operational risk was clear.
Bedford told the panel the FAA met its fiscal 2025 hiring goal of adding more than 2,000 controller trainees and intends to hire roughly 8,900 additional controller trainees through 2028. He also acknowledged that retirements and retention issues mean hires are not automatically a net gain and that the agency has work to do on retention and training throughput.
On medical certifications, Bedford said the FAA had more than 5,000 airmen waiting longer than six months for adjudication and had reduced that backlog to under 300 in the past five months. He described new technology and process changes to speed adjudication and cited ongoing engagement with the American Psychiatric Association on mental‑health policies.
Members urged expansion of collegiate training programs and better pay for contract tower personnel. Bedford said the FAA is expanding its enhanced air traffic collegiate training initiative and is evaluating ways to shift high‑demand contract towers into the federal program where appropriate.
Why it matters: Staffing levels and morale among air‑traffic controllers affect day‑to‑day safety and operations. Members said they need regular, clear data from the FAA to evaluate staffing trends, near‑miss statistics and the agency’s progress on workforce goals.
Next steps: Lawmakers said they will press for routine staffing updates and follow up on NOFO release timing and workforce grant funding decisions.