Public Trust Tracker

INV-011 · Money & ethics · Conflicts of interest

FAA chief kept airline stock past ethics deadline

Stage 3 of 5: Official review · IG, ethics office or majority · Last development Apr 2026

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, former CEO of Republic Airways, pledged to sell his Republic stock within 90 days of confirmation. The Office of Government Ethics found he failed to comply on time. He sold $5–26 million of stock in February 2026.

Bryan Bedford
People
Bryan Bedford, Republic Airways
Agencies
Transportation Dept (FAA)
Reviewed by
Office of Government Ethics, Senate Commerce (minority)

Timeline

  1. Sen. Cantwell demands a full accounting. [1]

  2. Bedford sells $5M to $26M in Republic stock, disclosed in April. [1]

  3. OGE tells Sen. Cruz that Bedford "has failed to timely comply with certain terms of the ethics agreement." [1]

  4. Divestment deadline passes. OGE had rejected his request for a 60-day extension. [1]

  5. Senate confirms Bedford. His ethics agreement requires divesting within 90 days. [1]

Responses

  • FAA: Did not answer questions. [1]

Who is acting on it

  • Review Office of Government Ethics: Found Bedford had not met his ethics agreement (8 Dec 2025, What happened next)
  • Letter Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA): Demanded a full accounting from Bedford (Apr 2026, No reply or result recorded yet)

Sources

  1. NOTUS / Washington Sun, 10 Apr 2026

Cite this case

Public Trust Tracker. "FAA chief kept airline stock past ethics deadline" (INV-011). Last updated Apr 2026. https://publictrusttracker.org/case/inv-011-faa-chief-kept-airline-stock-past-ethics-deadline/

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