Sen. Cruz: Nominees Will Help to Make American Transportation Safe and Efficient

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In his opening statement at today's Senate Commerce Committee nominations hearing, Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) expressed his support for three nominees, emphasizing that they will make America's transportation system safe, efficient, and reliable.

Sen. Cruz praised Mr. Ryan McCormack, nominee to be the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, noting his past experience in the executive and legislative branches will prove helpful on work to speed up infrastructure project permitting and advance new drone and autonomous vehicle technologies.

Sen. Cruz also applauded the qualifications and goals of the two aviation-related nominees. Mr. Dan Edwards, nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs, has three decades of aviation experience. Mr. Trent Morse, who has been nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, will be a strong advocate for passengers flying to and from the nation's capital.

Here are Sen. Cruz's remarks as prepared for delivery:

"Before we hear from our nominees, I would like to first acknowledge the tragedy that occurred last night at Louisville's International Airport, after a UPS cargo plane crashed soon after takeoff, tragically resulting in the loss of at least nine lives. I want to extend my deepest condolences to the families of the crew and others who lost their lives in this terrible accident. It's a reminder of the critical work this Committee does to improve aviation safety, particularly this week with our two nominations hearings. Tomorrow's hearing will feature a nominee to serve as a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

"With that, we will now proceed to the business before the Committee, and to hear from three nominees: Ryan McCormack, nominee to be the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; Daniel Edwards, nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs; and Trent Morse, nominee to serve on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

"Congratulations to each of you. All three of these nominees will contribute to making American transportation safe and efficient.

"Under the Biden-Buttigieg regime, DOT diverted billions toward left-wing initiatives. For example, by requiring states and cities to address pointless DEI and environmental justice criteria when applying for infrastructure grants, or by squandering taxpayer money to the tune of 4 billion dollars for California's failed High Speed Rail boondoggle, rather than fixing outdated air traffic systems and aging bridges. Today, Secretary Duffy has restored the Department's focus on its core mission: advancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the U.S. transportation system.

"We will hear from nominees prepared to support Secretary Duffy's agenda. Let's begin with Mr. McCormack, who is nominated to serve as the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy. He has worked in numerous positions on Capitol Hill including Legislative Director for then-Representative Sean Duffy and as chief of staff for Congressman Scott Fitzgerald.

"Mr. McCormack also held several senior roles at the Export-Import Bank during the first Trump administration. Currently, he is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Secretary Duffy at DOT.

"Mr. McCormack's experiences in both the legislative and executive branches give him a deep institutional knowledge needed to address the 40,000 annual highway fatalities, streamline project permitting, and make America a world leader in advanced transportation technologies such as drones and autonomous vehicles.

"Next, we have Dan Edwards who has been nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation at the Office for Aviation and International Affairs. That Office is responsible for promoting fair competition and enforcing international agreements. He is also the associate administrator for airports at the FAA. Mr. Edwards' 30-year aviation career includes stints as a military pilot, a civil engineer, and in senior executive roles for several private aviation businesses.

"Since 2022, Mexico has been in violation of the U.S. - Mexico Open Skies Agreement; I look forward to hearing how Mr. Edwards will stand up for U.S. carriers, hold Mexico accountable, and promote robust competition.

"Finally, Mr. Morse will serve as a board member on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, known as MWAA. He has served in multiple positions in the Trump administration, most recently as the deputy director for the presidential personnel office.

"He also worked in the first Trump administration as a senior advisor at DOT, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, Mr. Morse serves on DOT's Advisory Board.

"I'm glad to see Mr. Morse shares my disdain, and that of millions of other flyers, for the glacial tank-like people movers at Dulles. It sounds like we'll finally have a representative on the MWAA board who cares about the experiences of passengers at Reagan and Dulles.

"Thank you to our nominees for joining us today."

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