The head of the US Federal Aviation Administration has been accused of violating his ethics agreement by failing to divest a multimillion-dollar stake in an airline he once led, drawing criticism from a senior lawmaker and raising fresh questions about potential conflicts at the helm of the United States’ top aviation safety regulator.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford saying he promised during his confirmation process to sell all his shares in Republic Airways within 90 days of taking office but has failed to do so more than 150 days later. Bedford’s financial disclosures showed his holdings in the regional carrier were worth between $6 million and $30 million at the time he was confirmed.
In a December 8, 2025, letter from the Office of Government Ethics to Cantwell’s committee, regulators noted that Bedford sought to amend his original ethics agreement to extend the divestiture timeline, but the request was denied because it did not meet the standards for such changes. The ethics office also said it has not been informed that Bedford has divested his Republic stock and told Transportation Department ethics officials to emphasize his personal responsibility to avoid any actions that could create a conflict of interest.
Cantwell’s letter says the ongoing failure to divest violates the commitments Bedford made when he was confirmed as FAA chief, a role in which he oversees critical aspects of US aviation safety and regulation. “It appears you continue to retain significant equity in this conflicting asset months past the deadline set to fully divest from Republic, which constitutes a clear violation of your ethics agreement,” she wrote, calling for a full accounting of his actions.
Republic Airways, where Bedford was CEO before joining the FAA, completed a merger with Mesa Air Group on November 25, 2025. Under the merger deal, Republic shareholders now own about 88% of the combined company, which operates a fleet of more than 300 Embraer jets under contracts with legacy airlines. Cantwell’s letter noted that timing and the recent merger could have increased the value of Bedford’s holdings, raising further questions about why the divestiture has not been completed.
Bedford has previously pledged to divest the holdings and recuse himself from matters affecting Republic Airways until that process is complete. But as of mid-December 2025, that effort has not been finished, apparently leaving him with a significant airline stake while leading the agency responsible for regulating carriers and overseeing air safety.
The FAA has been under heightened scrutiny this year after a deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., earlier in 2025 and other recent operational challenges, including air traffic control outages and widespread flight delays during a prolonged government shutdown. Cantwell’s letter ties into broader concerns about FAA leadership credibility and public trust in the agency’s oversight.
Cantwell has asked Bedford to explain why he did not comply with the 90-day divestiture timeline, why he sought an amendment to his ethics agreement, and to provide a full accounting of any Republic stock he has sold. She gave him a deadline of December 16, 2025 to respond.