Trump DOT nominee says regulators "need to be tougher" on Boeing

In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday, the Trump administration's nominee for deputy secretary of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) said that the government "needs to be tougher" on Boeing following production delays with many government and civilian aircraft.

The nominee's thoughts on Boeing reflect the administration's general sense of dissatisfaction with the prominent US planemaker.

"Tough love" for Boeing

The Trump administration's USDOT deputy secretary nominee, Steven Bradbury, came under intense questioning during a Senate hearing on Thursday, because of his handling of the aftermath of the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which combined was responsible for the deaths of over 300 people.

At the time, Bradbury was USDOT's general counsel, and according to him, he was swamped with "...requests for information and was attempting to provide documents..." at the time.

He claims that he did "...not impede or block investigation..." into the crash of the two aircraft.

In January, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Congress that Boeing was in need of some "tough love" and that he would keep the production cap put in place set by former Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) chief Mike Whitaker following the mid-air panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 flight last year.

Duffy plans to travel to Seattle with acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau to meet with Boeing in March in order to "evaluate firsthand the measures being implemented to ensure its planes meet the highest safety standards"

In recent years, Boeing has been the source of much stress, criticism, and problems for airlines and governments around the world. With multiple 737 MAX issues and two high-profile crashes in the late 2010s, the US plane maker is viewed in an unfavorable manner by many.

Combine this with quality control issues on the Boeing 787 and other aircraft, and it's understandable why the Trump administration wants to take a more firm stance against the company.

Continuous Air Force One delays

Since ordering the $3.9 billion replacement for the two old Air Force One-modified 747-200B's in 2018, there has been nothing but delays with the president's two new Boeing 747-8i's.

The greatly modified aircraft, set to serve as the new Air Force One's, were originally set for delivery in 2024. Since then, the date has been pushed back to 2028 and even further, potentially after US President Trump leaves office.

Speaking to the press onboard Air Force One on Feburary 20, President Trump was asked about the Boeing situation, and he expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with the aerospace manufacturer for the constant delays.

Trump believes that the preparation of a US presidential aircraft with state-of-the-art security, communication and redundancy features shouldn't take so long. "There's no excuse for it", he said.

This line of thought is rather puzzling, as a company like Boeing known for plane crashes that can be attributed to rushing the development of its aircraft (the 737 MAX fiasco), should be given as much time as it needs to convert a government aircraft as it needs and not be rushed due to the government's impatience.

Even though two 747-8i's are currently undergoing conversions at Boeing, Trump said he's considering purchasing a used aircraft to convert it for presidential use. Although he isn't considering any Airbus aircraft.

"...I could buy one [aircraft] from another country, perhaps,or get one from another country. So, we're looking at other alternatives because it's taking Boeing too long..."

Boeing sees what's coming, and in 2024 the company sacked its former CEO Dennis Mullenberg for Kelly Ortberg in a bid to restore the company's reputation and finances.

On top of this, Ortberg aims to improve the company's work culture which has been criticized in recent years by both unions and former workers alike.