Anthony Foxx is scheduled to appear before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee today, to answer questions about his nomination to be the next Transportation Secretary. Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., is a mildly controversial pick because he has no professional background in transportation policy. His chief qualification — aside from being a Democrat who enthusiastically supports President Obama — appears to be the fact he’s a former Justice Department lawyer.
Nothing has emerged on the public record since his nomination to suggest that he should not be confirmed, and so it appears quite likely that he will be confirmed by the full Senate in due time. For that reason, Foxx should examine a failing in transportation safety policy that he can easily fix if he wants to make an impact right away: Get the Federal Aviation Administration off the dime by directing it to terminate its dangerous exemption of lighter-than-air gliders from regulations requiring aircraft to carry anti-midair-collision warning devices.
