Lautenberg: MarAd Chief Nominee Expected to Fly Through Confirmation Process

Superficial, lightly attended and largely ceremonial Senate Hearing of David Matsuda’s nomination to be U.S. Maritime Administrator took place on Tuesday.

In a hearing that attracted very little attention, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday considered the nominations of David T. Matsuda, to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. At the same, Michael Huerta’s nomination to be Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration was also vetted. The lightly attended hearing was over in less than one hour and the tenor of the dialogue clearly indicated that both would move through the nomination process quickly. Neither candidate stumbled or was pressed at any time by any of the committee members.

Matsuda’s opening statement revealed little and subsequent questioning by the committee was gentle. For his part, Matsuda showed himself to be amiable, and he fielded softball questions easily, but provided no details on how he would attack individual tasks on his plate, if confirmed. Committee members reciprocated by refraining in mentioning anything remotely controversial, especially in way of last week’s unfavorable court decision on the Suisun Bay Reserve fleet ships in California.

Although the meeting largely steered clear of any potential embarrassments for either nominee or their respective agencies, questions from the committee did touch upon financial reporting violations and poor infrastructure at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and also a vague reference to America’s Marine Highway. Matsuda replied that he shared DOT Secretary Lahood’s vision to make Kings Point “the crown jewel of the federal service academies” and further vowed to review each and every one of the 47 GAO recommendations intended to improve accountability and operations there. The MarAd nominee also gave lip service to the desirability of a viable shortsea shipping program but provided no details. Again, he was not pressed for details on either matter.

After his opening remarks, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D – NJ) made light of the relatively poor attendance at the meeting by telling his audience that this metric, rather than reflecting poorly on the nominees, should be interpreted as recognition of their collective, outstanding competence and that he hoped the nominations would move forward quickly.

According to Lautenberg, lawmaker’s questions for the record were due no later than today (Thursday, 28 January) by 6 PM eastern time. Matsuda had until 6 PM on February 2nd to provide answers. The New Jersey Senator ended the meeting by reaffirming his belief that both nominees would be quickly confirmed. Matsuda requires confirmation from the U.S. Senate. A veteran of politics and public service in Washington, he is bidding to be the administrator of an agency with an annual budget of more than $500 million and a staff of 1,000. The primary mandate for MARAD is to ensure the safe and efficient access for commercial and military ships on U.S. waterways.

View the Webcast of the nomination hearing by clicking HERE.

View the 47 GAO recommendations on the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy by clicking HERE.