Washington (March 3, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today wrote to Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) urging them to hold a hearing to investigate Elon Musk’s recent statements regarding the safety of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Control System. Last week, Elon Musk posted on X suggesting that the FAA’s Air Traffic Control communications system “is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk.”
In the letter, Senator Markey wrote, “Given Musk’s far-reaching role within the U.S. government and his recent involvement with the FAA’s information technology systems, Musk’s comments could understandably cause panic among air travelers. This Committee has worked diligently over the past few years to improve aviation safety, including in last year’s FAA Reauthorization Act, but the traveling public is understandably experiencing heightened anxiety about air travel after several recent and tragic plane crashes. Although the FAA’s information technology systems need modernization, Musk’s alarmist rhetoric appears extreme. If he has discovered new vulnerabilities in the FAA’s Air Traffic Control system, the Committee should know about such information immediately. If Musk cannot provide evidence of his claims, it raises serious questions about whether he is using his role as a senior government official to enrich his company SpaceX, currently competing for FAA contracts. In either case, the Commerce Committee has a responsibility to immediately hold a public hearing to investigate Musk’s claims on behalf of the American public.”
On February 26, Senator Markey wrote to Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator of the FAA with questions about the FAA’s recent decision to deploy three Starlink terminals, which provide broadband internet connectivity through a satellite network, from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Given Musk’s dual positions as CEO of SpaceX and wide-spread role in the Trump administration, this decision creates at least an appearance of a conflict-of-interest.
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