FAA Chief's Nomination Caught in a Political Tug-of-War

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Thursday demanded that Democratic senators "put aside politics" and approve Robert Sturgell to head the Federal Aviation Administration. But two Democratic senators responded by placing "holds" to block a confirmation vote.

"If they don't like him, vote him down, but at least give a vote as soon as possible," Bush said of Sturgell, who has been the FAA's acting administrator since September and had been deputy administrator since 2003.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said "the FAA needs a leader with a new perspective and new ideas." He said "Sturgell helped create the policies that left our air traffic controllers overworked and understaffed, our runways in dangerous condition, more air noise on our communities and the worst flight delays in our history."

Sen. Bob Menendez, another New Jersey Democrat, said he too placed a hold because the FAA has shown "minimal concern and a lack of urgency" about near-collisions and "planes flying into Newark with a minimum amount of fuel left in their tanks."

The holds could mean that the FAA, which regulates aviation safety, won't get a permanent administrator until 2009, when the next president takes office and a new Congress convenes.

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a floor speech he had been willing to allow Sturgell to become the FAA chief temporarily, but the White House rejected his approach.

"Before the Christmas holiday, I attempted to work out a deal with the White House that would have given recess appointments" to certain Bush nominees, Reid said. Under the Constitution, while the Senate is in recess, the president can make appointments that last until the end of the current Congress. So Sturgell could have served as FAA chief through the end of this year.

Reid said Democratic senators objected to confirming Sturgell to a full five-year term. "To do so would greatly limit the ability of a new president to change the direction" of the FAA, Reid said.

After Marion Blakey's term as FAA administrator ended in September, Bush nominated Sturgell as her replacement in October. But the Senate Commerce Committee delayed a hearing on his nomination until Thursday.

In his months as acting administrator, Sturgell has been caught up in political battles over how to relieve congestion in the New York area. The airline industry supports his efforts to open up new routes in that air space.

At Thursday's hearing, Sturgell acknowledged that "I've had to make hard choices, sometimes unpopular choices during my tenure with the FAA. But we've learned to manage better and leaner."

Meanwhile, at a House aviation subcommittee hearing also held Thursday, Democrats criticized Bush's $14.6 billion FAA budget proposal for next year. The budget request "is simply inadequate to meet the growing demand in air travel and to keep pace with infrastructure needs of our aviation system," said subcommittee chairman Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill.

The FAA's fiscal 2007 budget expired in September, and its current temporary budget will expire at the end of this month. Congress has been trying for nearly a year to find agreement on how to pay for expensive upgrades to the air traffic control system.