The U.S. Senate last night confirmed a three-year extension of Jennifer Homendy’s term as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This approval, by voice vote, comes two months after President Joe Biden nominated Homendy for the extended term.
Homendy joined the NTSB in August 2018 and took over as chair in 2021, succeeding Robert Sumwalt, who stepped down after serving on the Board for 15 years.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) praised the Senate action, noting, “Jennifer Homendy has guided the NTSB through some of the most high-profile transportation accidents this nation has seen in recent memory—from the East Palestine train derailment to the Alaska Airlines door plug accident and now the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. We’re fortunate that Chair Homendy will continue leading the agency’s critical investigative work with independence and integrity, and will continue advocating for ways to make the nation’s transportation system safer for Americans.”
Homendy brought more than 25 years of transportation safety experience to the Safety Board, including spending 14 years as the Democratic staff director for the House of Representatives' railroads, pipelines, and hazardous materials subcommittee and holding positions with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and American Iron and Steel Institute.