Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won plaudits last month for shepherding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization through committee and on the floor. Now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has ripped Cruz for fighting “petty partisan culture wars” over the Spectrum and National Security Act. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports Cruz has tried to present himself as a bipartisan problem solver ahead of his reelection race, but he also can’t resist taking shots at Democrats, muddling his effort to tack to the center ahead of November.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun faced tough questioning Tuesday from senators about the company’s safety and manufacturing practices as he made his first appearance before Congress since a panel blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
Calhoun told the Senate investigations subcommittee that Boeing’s culture is “far from perfect,” but he said the company is “committed to making sure every employee feels empowered to speak up if there is a problem.” Ahead of Calhoun’s testimony, the Senate panel released information from two additional Boeing whistleblowers who have recently emerged and raised concerns about the company’s practices. Among Calhoun’s harshest critics on the panel was Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) who asked the CEO why he had not yet resigned. Calhoun will depart his job by the end of the year (The Hill and CBS News).
“You are cutting corners, you are eliminating safety procedures, you are sticking it to your employees, you are cutting back jobs because you are trying to squeeze every piece of profit you can out of this company,” Hawley said. “You are strip-mining Boeing.”
