Overview

• Bedford’s biography listed “commercial” pilot ratings since at least 2010, and Republic Airways removed the term only after Politico’s inquiry.
• The FAA registry contains no record of his commercial license, although the Department of Transportation confirmed he passed written and oral commercial pilot exams and called the listing an administrative error.
• During Senate Commerce Committee hearings, Bedford faced questions about his company’s failed attempt to certify pilots who had logged only half of the 1,500 hours required for airline transport certification.
• He declined to commit to preserving the 1,500-hour rule, telling Sen. Tammy Duckworth that he “doesn’t believe safety is static,” suggesting openness to reducing flight-hour requirements.
• The nomination has intensified calls for stronger oversight following a January mid-air collision that killed 67 people and pilots’ union warnings against lowering the 1,500-hour flight requirement.