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Politico
4 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Trump's FAA pick acknowledges he doesn't have a ‘commercial' pilot's license
Bryan Bedford, the Trump administration's pick to head the Federal Aviation Administration, acknowledged this week that he does not have a commercial pilot's license, despite having claimed for years to have one as part of his biography on the airline's website. Bedford, the CEO of Republic Airways, said it is 'correct' that he doesn't have a commercial pilot's license. He said he had passed the oral and written exams needed for one but didn't complete a 'check ride' — a test of flying ability conducted by an FAA examiner — due to bad weather, according to answers to questions submitted by lawmakers on the Senate Commerce Committee. 'It is true I fully completed all my commercial flight training, including the FAA written exam and FAA oral exam,' he wrote in the document. 'However, due to weather, I was unable to complete my FAA check ride before switching jobs and therefore did not formally obtain my commercial flight license.' A Democratic committee aide, granted anonymity to discuss the details of the questionnaire, said the committee received Bedford's answers on Monday. POLITICO reported last week about discrepancies related to his pilot's license credentials. In answer to a question about why he continued to publicly claim having earned a commercial license, including in a 2019 speech he gave at Liberty University, Bedford suggested that 'context is important in this setting.' 'I was simply trying to relate to these students my appreciation for their achievements based on my own extensive flight training experience. I still fly, as a pilot, on a regular basis,' he wrote. The Transportation Department previously confirmed that Bedford passed the oral and written part of the licensure requirements. On Wednesday, Halee Dobbins, a DOT spokesperson, said Bedford 'has a proven track record that makes him exceptionally qualified to lead the FAA' and said 'desperate smears from the fake news media are nothing more than a cheap attack and disregard the importance of ensuring a safe and reliable national air system.' Republic Airways did not respond to a request for comment. But in addition to the 2019 speech, Bedford's biography at Republic Airways, the regional airline where he has been CEO since 1999, said until last week that he 'holds commercial, multi-engine and instrument ratings.' A search of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine shows his biography had mentioned his having a 'commercial' rating since 2010. Bedford has appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee and is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor on his nomination. So far, the licensure issue does not appear to be a significant impediment to his confirmation. Bedford does hold a private pilot's license, including some specialized certifications such as being able to fly planes with more than one engine and to fly in certain conditions where instruments are needed instead of visual cues.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's FAA Nominee Lied About Having a ‘Commercial' Pilot License
Bryan Bedford, Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has misled the public, claiming to have a 'commercial' pilot license that he does not hold, Politico reported. Bedford, who serves as president and CEO of Republic Airways, was listed on the airline's website as holding 'commercial, multi-engine and instrument pilot ratings' as recently as Thursday, according to Politico. But after the outlet inquired about Bedford's credentials, the airline removed 'commercial' from the webpage on Friday, the publication reported. According to Politico, Bedford does not have a commercial pilot's license listed in the FAA registry. But Bedford has claimed since at least 2010 to have that kind of license according to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine records of Republic Airways' website. Bedford does have a private pilot's license, including credentials that he can fly multi-engine planes and fly in bad weather and at nighttime. The Department of Transportation (DOT) told Politico that Bedford has passed 'written and oral exams' to fly commercial aircraft. The department additionally said that Bedford had not 'personally nor publicly claimed to be a commercial airline pilot.' 'Bryan never misrepresented his credential; it was an administrative error that was immediately corrected,' DOT said in a statement. As Politico noted, The Air Current in an April 2025 article about Bedford also pointed out that the CEO is not a commercial pilot. 'Bedford is a pilot himself, although not a commercial pilot, as he has sometimes claimed to be,' The Air Current wrote. Given recent events, including the Jan. 2025 collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac River near Washington-Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people, many are looking to the FAA to improve the air traffic control system. Elon Musk, while leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, tried to lay off swaths of air traffic controllers but was stopped by the DOT. Trump blamed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices for the crash. Bedford faced questioning last week from the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee as part of his nomination process. Members of the committee grilled him about how his company tried (and failed) to certify pilots who only met half of the federally required flight hours. When questioned by Sen. Tammy Duckworth about whether he would keep the number of required hours to 1,500, Bedford would not give a straight answer. 'It doesn't sound like a yes,' Duckworth said. 'It sounds like you're leaving the door open to reduce the number of flight hours below 1,500.' 'What I'm saying is I don't believe safety is static,' Bedford responded. More from Rolling Stone Trump Parade Turnout Swamped by Millions Who Protested at 'No Kings' Rallies 'Chicago Is Next': Team Trump Plots Another Militarized Crackdown Tear Gas, Human Stampedes, and ICE Raids: 100 Hours in L.A. Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Politico
7 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Trump's FAA pick has claimed ‘commercial' pilot license he doesn't have
President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration long described himself in his official biography as being certified to fly aircraft commercially — but records examined by POLITICO show that he does not hold any commercial license. Bryan Bedford's biography at Republic Airways, the regional airline where he has been CEO since 1999, said until Thursday that he 'holds commercial, multi-engine and instrument ratings.' (By Friday, after POLITICO's inquiries, the word 'commercial' had been removed.) The FAA registry that houses data on pilot's licenses does not list any such commercial credentials for Bedford. Similar language asserting commercial credentials for Bedford appeared in his Republic bio since at least 2010, according to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Bedford is a licensed private pilot, the FAA records show, and has attained additional credentials allowing him to fly in a variety of specialized circumstances, including operating multi-engine planes and piloting at night or in bad weather. He has passed 'written and oral exams' for becoming a commercial airline pilot, the Transportation Department said in a statement, adding that Bedford had not 'personally nor publicly claimed to be a commercial airline pilot.' Questions about Bedford's credentials do not appear to threaten his prospects for heading the FAA, an agency trying to recover from years of high-level leadership shake-ups, failures of key aviation technology, a spate of near-misses in the skies and January's 67-fatality crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Bedford didn't respond to multiple attempts by POLITICO to request comment, nor did Republic. The White House referred questions to DOT. DOT defended Bedford, who would be the latest in a string of licensed pilots confirmed to lead the aviation agency. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on his nomination earlier this week. 'Bryan never misrepresented his credential; it was an administrative error that was immediately corrected,' DOT said in a statement. The agency did not respond to questions about what the 'error' was or how it had been fixed. The aviation news publication The Air Current previously reported in April about questions regarding Bedford's pilot credentials. The FAA issues various forms of commercial pilot ratings, including a 'commercial privileges' certificate that allows pilots to fly people or goods for hire, such as on cargo planes, small propeller aircraft or charter flights. Working as an airline pilot requires someone to hold a more rigorous commercial rating designating them as an 'air transport pilot,' which requires extensive flight hours, among other things. Darren Pleasance, president and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, a trade group for private airplane owners, said earning any pilot's license — including for commercial planes — requires written and oral exams and also a 'check ride' conducted by a licensed FAA examiner, who evaluates a person's skill at actually flying a plane. Pleasance, who holds an 'air transport pilot' license and is a certificated flight instructor, said a pilot working toward their commercial privileges would additionally have to pass a more comprehensive flight test that includes successfully performing complicated maneuvers in midair and during landing or take-off. 'You cannot get a commercial rating without having gone through and taken those tests,' Pleasance said after being asked to comment on the pilot licensing process and testing criteria. He was not addressing any specific questions regarding Bedford's credentials. Another aviation expert familiar with the licensing process, granted anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive topic, said that 'if you haven't successfully gone through all of that, no one should claim to have a certain rating — because they don't have it.' 'It's like saying you are a medical doctor but you haven't finished medical school,' said the expert. After viewing Bedford's publicly accessible licensure record, the person confirmed that it does not contain any commercial certifications. It lists Bedford as being licensed to fly single and multi-engine planes as well as having earned his 'instrument rating,' which means he can fly at night or in bad weather. In a statement, DOT said that Bedford has never claimed to be a 'commercial airline pilot,' and added that he had passed 'written and oral exams' needed to be licensed to fly commercially. DOT didn't address whether Bedford had completed a 'check ride' with an experienced pilot, which is necessary for a commercial certificate. Besides the wording on his company's website, Bedford also gave a speech in 2019 at Liberty University where another speaker introduced him as holding 'commercial, multi-engine and instrument pilot ratings.' During a question-and-answer portion of his appearance, Bedford said he had decided to pursue pilot training after going through an intense period of union negotiations, where labor insisted that he didn't understand what it meant to be an airline pilot. 'When I was in Minnesota between like, 1994, 1997, I went through private, instrument, multi-engine, commercial, and by the time we got to our next labor negotiation three years later, I had all my ratings, and l'd actually been flying some of our turbine airplanes around,' Bedford said. At Bedford's confirmation hearing Wednesday, Republican senators repeatedly praised his fitness for the FAA job — including Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who called him 'exactly the type of innovative leader' the agency needs. Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz of Texas added that 'as a pilot, Mr. Bedford understands how important it is for pilots to go through rigorous training.' Democrats at the hearing pressed Bedford on other issues related to public safety, including whether he would scale back the FAA's requirement that people seeking to become airline pilots log at least 1,500 of flight time — a rule that Republic requested an exemption from in 2022. None of them brought up his pilot's credentials. 'I am less worried about that than I am more worried about the fact that in his previous role at Republic Air[ways], he pushed very hard to degrade the 1,500 hour rule,' Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the Commerce Committee's top Democrat, said when asked about the credentials issue during a call with reporters Tuesday. The assertion that Bedford holds a commercial rating appears to have been scrubbed from two sections of Republic's website at different times within the past seven months. According to a screen grab from the 'Executive Leadership' section of the airline's website from December 1, 2024, accessed via the Wayback Machine, Bedford's biography said at the time that he 'holds commercial, multi-engine and instrument pilot ratings.' By March 18, according to the Wayback Machine, the word 'commercial' had been removed from that sentence. One day before that, Trump announced Bedford as his pick on social media. However, the claim that Bedford holds a 'commercial' rating still appeared as of Thursday on the Republic website's 'Board of Directors' page. By Friday the reference had been scrubbed. As of Friday, similar language also remained in a biography section for Bedford at the Regional Airlines Association trade group website. When asked about possible questions on Bedford's biography after Wednesday's hearing, Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) told a reporter he'd 'heard about that' and that his team 'did flag that.' 'We are doing just sort of an extensive look, not just at his policies, but just sort of his background as well,' he said. 'So I haven't made a determination yet but it is something that' he is examining, Kim said. — Chris Marquette and Sam Ogozalek contributed to this report.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Corporations left Spokane Pride in the lurch. Then the community stepped up
Jun. 7—April was a tough month for Matthew Danielson, director of Spokane Pride. The annual celebration that draws tens of thousands of Inland Northwest residents to downtown Spokane was just a few months away, but some of the event's largest sponsors in past years had yet to recommit their support. "I'm not gonna lie, April was scary," Danielson said. Spokane Pride's main event is the Pride parade at noon Saturday in downtown Spokane, followed by festivities in Riverfront Park at 1 p.m. Multiple past sponsors of Spokane Pride opted not to return this June amid economic uncertainty, increased anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and pressure from the federal government to abandon diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts in the public and private sectors. It's a trend affecting Pride celebrations across the country, as some of the largest contributors in size and monetary donations have left organizers and communities of all sizes scrambling. The Inland Northwest was one of those communities, until locals stepped up in the eleventh hour. Nonprofits, businesses and community members have made up for the gap in funding over the last few months, allowing the event to go on without the cuts Spokane Pride had feared, Danielson said. "It's been pretty beautiful to watch," Danielson said. "I haven't ran the exact numbers, but I think we're actually in quite good shape. Not quite as good of shape as I thought we would be, because we had some big promises from a lot of those big corporate sponsors last year, but we're in a lot better place than we were a few months ago." In Spokane, the short list of big -ticket corporate donors who've walked away include Walmart, Verizon Wireless and Anheuser-Busch, according to a screen grab of last year's sponsors captured by the internet archiving platform Wayback Machine. Of those companies, Walmart was the sole respondent to a request for comment to The Spokesman-Review regarding why they decided not to lend their support despite doing so a year ago. In a written statement, Walmart spokesman Jimmy Carter said the company's focus "remains on creating an environment where our associates and customers feel they belong," before adding that employees in the region are volunteering with community organizations in June, "including those which support the LGBTQ+ community." "It's really hard to get straight answers out of any of them," Danielson said. "They're not incentivized to tell me why they actually dropped us." Speaking generally to the possible motivations for the groups, Danielson said some shared apprehension about the state of the economy, some nonprofits couldn't because of budget cuts as a result of state and federal funds drying up, and others indicated they were saving funding to provide to other community events. He also theorized some organizations are feeling the pressure put on by the federal campaign against DEI initiatives. "It's hard to tell, because they won't actually come out and say, 'Hey, we're not supporting Pride anymore,' " Danielson said. The withdrawals threatened community events throughout the Inland Northwest. Organizers of Coeur d'Alene's Pride in the Park shared a similar experience of losing sponsors this year, and events in smaller communities throughout the region were threatened as a result of Spokane losing support. Pride gatherings in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Waverly are among communities that have received financial backing from Spokane Pride, Danielson said. "Part of our mission has expanded to helping with smaller, more rural prides," Danielson said. "... Helping to develop the smaller pride events out in these smaller towns and places, where I think we kind of need pride the most." The cavalry arrived around the start of May, Danielson said. The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane provided $10,000, which was followed by another large donation from Gonzaga University's Lincoln LGBTQ+ Resource Center. Then a wave of smaller donations from organizations and community members alike rolled in, ranging in values of tens, hundreds and thousands of dollars. Anheuser-Busch's usual $5,000 and beer garden equipment gave them sole product rights in the designated drinking areas of the park festival, so their departure has provided an opportunity for local breweries and distilleries to take their place. A number of craft brewers in the area have provided kegs free of charge to Spokane Pride, including Natural 20, Hat Trick and Humble Abode, as reported by the Inlander. Humble Abode co-owner Courtney Gilbreath said it was a no-brainer to lend a helping hand. She and her husband, Matt Gilbreath, have established relationships with some of the organizers, and they love supporting community events, she said. "We don't really get into politics and all that," Gilbreath said. Danielson said the influx of local support, particularly from faith-based organizations, was as meaningful to him personally as it was to Spokane Pride as an organization. "It almost made me cry as kind of a recovering Christian who was really hurt by the church and growing up gay," Danielson said. "... I love it; they became our largest sponsor just with that." The list of sponsors this year also includes several familiar names and logos from year's past. The Davenport Hotels and Amazon remain top-level sponsors, and a number of local advocacy groups chipped in. VIP Production Northwest is supporting once again by providing the stages and sound systems that will be located throughout the park at a generous rate, said Chief Operating Officer Triston Ward. He said the event company does the same for a number of events in Spokane, whether it's Pig Out in the Park or an Independence Day concert. "When they have financial struggles, we always work with them to figure that out, because we don't believe that sponsors and donors really should dictate the fun that the community has," Ward said. "We do what we can to help, and we've had a wonderful relationship with the people over at Pride for many, many years." Ward said the funding struggles are popping up for other community events as well, a trend he believes is from concerns about the state of the economy. VIP has seen some of those concerns, he said, in less equipment orders from customers and the challenge of providing accurate quotes. Still, there's value in an organization attaching itself to a community event like Spokane Pride, Ward said. It increases visibility and generates a new customer or client base. It also helps make the area a better place to live for all walks of life. "VIP is very community oriented, and we kind of exist to support all swaths of life," Ward said. "In the events industry, we have to work with all religions and all political decisions and all everything, so we don't discriminate. We're a bunch of creatives over here helping put a bunch of different events on for all sorts of people." The nonprofit Spokane Independent Metro Business Alliance is another one of those returning sponsors. Executive Director Robin Hanes said their support aligns with the organization's mission of supporting local small businesses, which it does through educational outreach and training throughout the Inland Northwest. "It's our rural businesses, it's our LGBTQ businesses, it's our BIPOC businesses, it's our veteran businesses, it's our women in business; it's everyone who's an independent and local business owner," Hanes said, using an acronym for Black, Indigenous and people of color. "Because we think, for small business owners, there are more similarities than differences, regardless of where they came from and what they believe in and who they love." Despite their own funding challenges as a nonprofit, SIMBA prioritized being there for Danielson and company. "We think it's just really important, particularly to some of our community members, who are just facing some pretty ugly language and behaviors," Hanes said. "We want to make sure that we are supporting." Danielson said that in a roundabout way, all the scrambling and backfill led Spokane Pride to become more of the grassroots, community-supported affair he always envisioned. There will be local beers in the gardens, neighbors bumping into each other and friendly faces at the vendor booths to direct Spokane residents to local resources, opportunities and more. "We still have a little bit of work to do; it's not perfect, but we've shifted so far toward local money and just being community funded," Danielson said. "I cannot believe how much our community stepped up. I'm just so proud of everybody." The Pride parade will kick off noon June 14 in downtown Spokane, while the festivities at Riverfront Park officially begin at 1 p.m.
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump administration 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list vanishes after pushback from sheriffs
Trump administration 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list vanishes after pushback from sheriffs The president of the National Sheriffs' Association said sheriffs felt 'betrayed' by the list. Show Caption Hide Caption Tallahassee, Florida ICE raid, detained workers speak from bus. ICE raid took place in Tallahassee, Florida, detained workers speak from bus. The list, created following a Trump executive order, aimed to identify jurisdictions hindering federal immigration laws and potentially withhold their funding. Several sheriffs and county officials, including those from Republican-led areas, disputed their inclusion on the list, citing compliance with ICE. After pushback from sheriffs nationwide, a list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" has disappeared from the Department of Homeland Security's website. The list was published last week, about a month after President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to create a list of jurisdictions that have been obstructing federal immigration laws. These jurisdictions would risk their federal funds being terminated or suspended. Greater Cincinnati Republicans were confused after two GOP-controlled counties, Warren County in Ohio and Campbell County in Kentucky, were included on the list. "We have supported ICE's mission since I took office," Warren County Sheriff Barry K. Riley previously told The Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. "They got this wrong." An official in Campbell County told The Enquirer their inclusion on the list was a mistake. Sheriffs and county officials in several other states were also mystified at being deemed noncompliant. Sheriff Kieran Donahue, president of the National Sheriff's Association, released a statement on May 31 saying sheriffs felt "betrayed" by the list. "DHS has done a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country. The President's goals to reduce crime, secure the Borders, and make America safer have taken a step backward," the statement read. "In a meeting today called by the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), with members of DHS, no political appointee for the administration could explain who compiled, proofed, and verified the list before publication." List removed over the weekend The sheriffs' association called on Homeland Security to immediately share the criteria for the list, take it offline and apologize to sheriffs. The list was removed from Homeland Security's website on June 1, according to the Wayback Machine. Sheriff's offices have played a major role in the Trump administration's mass deportation effort by supporting ICE. Across the country, including in Southwest Ohio's Butler County, sheriffs have signed contracts with ICE, allowing agents to use their jails to hold detainees. "This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to objectto the designation. Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do toavoid this arbitrary label," the sheriffs' association statement read. The list, which the association blamed on Homeland Security, said "not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration … This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome." Cincinnati, a Democrat-controlled city, was also included on the now-deleted list. City council did declare Cincinnati a "sanctuary city" in 2017, but the move was symbolic and did not result in any new policies. After the list was published, Mayor Aftab Pureval told The Enquirer the city would continue to follow federal laws and had not been informed why they were deemed noncompliant.
