September-October 2022 - 33

A R S A INS IG H T
Mid-terms: Some Seats
Matter More
The U.S. mid-term congressional elections this November will determine which
party controls Congress during the next year's FAA reauthorization process.
Republicans are bullish on retaking both the House of Representatives and
Senate, while Democrats are fighting hard to protect their razor-thin majorities.
That's the big picture. Of the 536 total congresby
Christian Klein
Christian A. Klein is
the managing member
of Obadal, Filler,
MacLeod & Klein,
P.L.C. overseeing the
firm's policy advocacy
practice. He represents
trade associations
as a registered
federal lobbyist and
provides strategic
communications
and legal counsel
services to clients.
He is executive vice
president of the
Aeronautical Repair
Station Association
and a member of the
University of Virginia's
adjunct faculty.
sional seats (including D.C.'s non-voting delegate...
more on her below), 470 are up for election, including
a special election to fill the remaining four years
of retiring Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) term, but not
including the one to fill the final weeks of what would
have been Vice President Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.)
term as a senator. While each one of those seats matters,
there are some that matter more to aerospace
professionals than others: members of aviation committees
and subcommittees.
These senators and representatives will have a
direct impact on the language that becomes the next
FAA reauthorization. No matter which party comes
out on top in terms of overall majority, there will be
new committee leaders. Their priorities and influences
will drive industry policy for the next decade,
so they deserve our focus.
Specifically,
the House Transportation &
Infrastructure (T&I) Committee will write the
reauthorization bill. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)
has chaired T&I since 2019 and will retire this year.
Three current members are vying for the gavel in the
wake of his departure.
If the Republicans capture the House, Rep. Sam
Graves (R-Mo.) is a shoo-in to be the next T&I chairman.
Graves holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate,
is currently the senior Republican on T&I and
has been involved in aviation most of his life.
As a pilot, Graves understands the importance of
regulatory oversight, but also understands regulations
need to serve safety - not political - purposes. He and
his staff worked across the aisle with Democrats to
significantly improve the contract maintenance bill
passed by the T&I Committee this summer. He's also
a champion for aviation workforce development. He
earned the 2019 ARSA Legislative Leadership Award
by being one of the lead sponsors of the maintenance
technician grant program created at the association's
urging during the last FAA reauthorization.
on T&I, and chairman if their party holds the House,
are Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Del. Eleanor
Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
Larsen's northwest Washington district abuts the
Seattle area, making aviation issues important.
As chairman of T&I's aviation subcommittee,
Larsen has put those words into action. He's been
a champion for aviation workforce development
programs and has led annual efforts to secure full
funding for the new maintenance technician grant
program. Larsen has served as an honest broker
on repair station issues and clearly understands
the impact that the maintenance industry has in
his home state. Despite being a senior Democrat
on the T&I Committee, Larsen did not cosponsor
Chairman DeFazio's anti-repair station bill. During
the pandemic, he was also one of the champions of
legislation to protect aviation jobs. In recognition of
his leadership, Larsen received ARSA's Legislative
Leadership Award in 2022.
Norton has served in Congress for 30 years and
is the chair of T&I's highways and transit subcommittee.
As D.C.'s congressional delegate, she does not
have a vote on the House floor and would be the first
delegate to chair a congressional committee. Given
that there are no repair stations in Washington, D.C.,
it has been difficult to break through with Norton
on maintenance issues; she was an original sponsor
of DeFazio's bill. She also leads the Congressional
Quiet Skies Caucus, which works to address aircraft
noise issues.
We'll find out which one of these three takes the
top spot in T&I by the time the new Congress convenes
in January. If the Republicans re-take the house
majority, it will be Graves. If the Democrats hold on,
their Steering and Policy Committee on the House
side will make the final determination between
Larsen and Norton.
The two members vying to be the senior Democrat
www.AviationPros.com 33
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September-October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September-October 2022
