How Senate Republicans created the airline crisis
The disaster with Southwest Airlines and numerous flights being canceled last winter has seen a growing number of people online begin to point fingers at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – even if he can’t – nor should he – exert every decision made by a private airline. The calls of derision have come from many figures on the left as well as Republicans – but on Monday, Chuck Schumer made clear where the real blame should have been placed all along: on Senate Republicans.
It seems like ages ago when Senate Republicans dragged their feet on the confirmation of Merrick Garland as Attorney General – but they’re doing it in even worse fashion when it comes to appointing Phil Washington, President Biden’s pick to head the Federal Aviation Administration – who was tapped by the president nearly a year ago. On Monday, Schumer vowed to break the logjam by calling for a formal hearing – since the GOP didn’t even give Washington the courtesy of having a confirmation hearing to see whether or not he was qualified.
The question shouldn’t be why the GOP sat on this for so long – but why the media never even bothered to pursue the story while letting Secretary Pete take the hits. It’s not a question of both sides and if the media had any sense of responsibility on this, the delusion that both sides are equally at fault would be on much more shaky ground than it is.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making