Trump's FAA Nominee Says 'Significant Investment' Needed To Upgrade Air Traffic Control: Report

President Donald Trump's pick for the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, administrator job says that upgrading the Air Traffic Control would need a significant investment.

What Happened: Bryan Bedford, CEO of Republic Airways Holdings and Trump's nominee, says that upgrading the Air Traffic Control system would be his primary responsibility, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

"We must agree that our Air Traffic Control system needs significant investment," Bedford stated in a written testimony ahead of Wednesday's confirmation hearing before the Senate committee.

The report also suggests Bedford asked Trump if he could meet with the FAA before accepting the nomination. He said the senior members of the FAA expressed "serious concerns" with issues like aging tech and problems with the workforce.

Trump's new Big, Beautiful Bill has allocated over $12.5 billion to the FAA to address technological updates, as well as staffing woes, among other issues.

Why It Matters: The news comes in as the FAA has been on the receiving end of criticism for a number of safety issues and staffing woes. The agency also shared recently that it could scale operations back at New Jersey's Newark airport, citing staff shortages and equipment failures.

The agency was also slammed for a crash in January this year, which resulted in the deaths of 64 people, including the passengers and crew, when an American Airlines plane crashed with a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Safety in the U.S. Aviation industry has become a top priority for airline operators once again, as Southwest Airlines Co. LUV recently announced a new policy mandating passengers to keep portable chargers in line of sight when in use to avoid fires.

Bedford would also have to deal with aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. BA, which has been under scrutiny and faced criticism after multiple incidents, including a fatal crash involving Boeing aircraft that raised questions about the company's safety and quality standards.

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