The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation on Thursday morning is set to debate the safety of U.S. air traffic control.
The probe comes after a 114-page report, released earlier this year by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), found that exhaustion, burnout and an overall lack of sleep for controllers — particularly during evening shifts — has hindered safety and led to accidents.
In response, the FAA issued new guidance that requires air traffic controllers to take at least 12 hours off before midnight shifts and 10 hours off between shifts in general. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also requested more funding from Congress to hire roughly 2,000 additional controllers.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. EST.
Watch the live video above.
