U.S. Senate Democrats on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee have publicly opposed a proposed nomination hearing set for November 6 to consider John DeLeeuw as the replacement for National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vice Chair Alvin Brown. The opposition was detailed in a letter sent by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the committee, and signed by several Democratic members including Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Jacky Rosen (Nev.). The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz.
The senators argue that Vice Chair Brown’s removal earlier this year by President Trump was unlawful. “Vice Chair Brown is actively challenging his unlawful removal from the Board and seeking a court order that would allow him to continue serving the remainder of his term, consistent with the statutory structure Congress established for the NTSB,” they wrote. “Proceeding with this hearing now—particularly on such a rushed timeline —would needlessly set a precedent that runs counter to the bipartisan tradition of the Senate Commerce Committee. We urge you not to do so.”
According to the letter, President Trump terminated Brown on May 5, 2025, without providing justification or meeting the "for-cause" criteria required by Congress when it created the NTSB. The senators stated: “[O]n May 5, 2025, President Trump terminated Vice Chair Brown. In doing so, the President provided no justification for this removal, let alone one that would satisfy the for-cause criteria that Congress established when it created the NTSB…Every Senator should be alarmed by this Executive Branch overreach—the President has removed an independent board Member, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, without cause, in violation of the statutory protections that Congress created to prevent this exact situation from occurring.”
They also noted concerns about partisanship within independent agencies during President Trump’s current administration: “Compounding matters, more than nine months into this Administration, the White House has still refused to nominate a single member from the opposing party to any independent board or commission—choosing instead to leave a raft of holdovers and vacancies across the federal government,” wrote committee Democrats.
The letter emphasizes their belief that moving forward with DeLeeuw’s nomination could undermine both congressional oversight and longstanding bipartisan norms in committee proceedings. “Proceeding in this manner would also erode the Committee’s longstanding tradition of bipartisanship and its authority as a co-equal branch of government, both of which are fundamental to our ability to promote and protect the safety of the American people,” they wrote. “We implore you not to set this precedent and not to move forward with Mr. DeLeeuw’s nomination at this time.”
Vice Chair Alvin Brown had previously been confirmed unanimously by the Senate in March 2024 for a term expiring December 31, 2026. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida and as a senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Transportation before joining NTSB.
The full text of their letter is available online.
