NTSB Nominee John DeLeeuw Advances Despite Pushback
Alvin Brown Was Removed From Post by Trump Earlier This Year; Democrats Question Legality of Move
Key Takeaways:
- The Senate advanced President Donald Trump’s nomination of John DeLeeuw to the National Transportation Safety Board despite Democratic objections over the legality of the vacancy.
- Democrats argued DeLeeuw’s nomination violates federal law because Trump allegedly removed Vice Chair Alvin Brown before his term expired, calling the move executive overreach.
- DeLeeuw, backed by Republicans and industry groups, awaits committee approval and pledged to strengthen transportation safety through collaboration across transportation sectors.
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President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve on the independent National Transportation Safety Board recently advanced another step through the Senate confirmation process, even as Democrats continued voicing concern that his nomination to the post violated the law.
During a Senate hearing Nov. 6, John DeLeeuw affirmed his commitment to collaborate with members of the board as well as Congress and industry stakeholders to enhance transportation safety nationwide.
“I believe we can continue to improve and enhance safety through partnerships and sharing of best practices across the differing modes of transportation. Airline operators often say that we are fierce competitors, but we do not compete on safety. I believe that approach can be industry and modal agnostic,” said DeLeeuw, an aviation safety expert.
He also espoused bringing transportation sectors together to work toward shared safety goals. “There are opportunities to facilitate safety information sharing across the various modes of transportation and bring the different modes together to share lessons learned. A cross-modal approach will further the NTSB’s mission of preventing accidents and saving lives,” he said.
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Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) endorsed DeLeeuw.
“DeLeeuw will draw on his extensive aviation safety background to investigate accidents and propose recommendations to prevent future harm,” Cruz said. “He is — without a doubt — one of the most decorated and qualified individuals to come before us. His resume is a perfect match for the NTSB.”
DeLeeuw awaits committee approval before advancing to the floor of the Senate. Per background provided to the Senate committee, he is managing director of safety and efficiency at American Airlines.
DeLeeuw was nominated by Trump in September. If confirmed, he would succeed Alvin Brown, who was removed from the board by the White House earlier this year. Brown has challenged his removal, and Democrats on the panel question its legality.
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Sen. Ben Lujan (D-N.M.), a senior member of the committee, questioned Brown’s removal from the board.
“I have to say I am deeply disturbed and frankly alarmed at the committee rushing ahead with this nomination to replace NTSB Vice Chair Alvin Brown, who President Trump illegally removed earlier this year,” Lujan argued at the hearing.
“Anyone that looks at the law looks at the rules surrounding this, it’s plain and simple,” the senator from New Mexico continued. “The facts are straightforward. The Senate unanimously confirmed Vice Chair Brown last year, and his term does not expire until the end of next year. And the president removed him without complying with the law that Congress passed, plain and simple. And now folks are choosing to look the other way and advance his replacement, even though there isn’t a clear vacancy to fill under the law.”
Alvin Brown has challenged his removal. He was confirmed by the Senate last year. (commerce.senate.gov)
Last month, Democrats led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the committee’s ranking member, expressed concern about this nomination process in a letter to the chamber’s Republican leaders. “Every Senator should be alarmed by this executive branch overreach — the president has removed an independent board member, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, without cause, in violation of the statutory protections that Congress created to prevent this exact situation from occurring,” the Democratic senators wrote Oct. 29.
DeLeeuw’s nomination has support from other NTSB members. Airlines for America, an advocacy group, also backs his candidacy.
“DeLeeuw’s decades of experience in the cockpit of both commercial and military aircraft provide him the technical expertise to support the ongoing work of the NTSB,” the group said. “Additionally, his current role as the managing director of safety and efficiency at American Airlines give him unique knowledge into the safety managements systems in the real world.”
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The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association added, “His decades-long career of demonstrating attention to safety and leadership in elevating safety above competing priorities make him an ideal board member.”
Responding to a questionnaire from the committee, DeLeeuw indicated his NTSB priorities would include improving safety through partnerships, workforce initiatives and implementing a portfolio of policy recommendations. This agenda would be realized through coordination with colleagues and myriad transportation officials.
“I will abide by the legislative mandate of the NTSB and exercise proper management and accounting controls, in coordination with the chairwoman and board members, to regularly evaluate and ensure the effectiveness and accountability of the agency,” DeLeeuw said. “This includes overseeing development and implementation of the budget, expenditure of appropriations provided by Congress, and meeting all requests and deadlines set by Congress and committees of jurisdiction.”
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