180 Republicans Voted Against Funding the FAA, the Agency That Keeps Planes from Crashing

Trump selected eight of them to serve in his administration. Read this exclusive research and reporting on Meidas+.

Written by J.D. Wolf

Source: Instagram / Flightradar24

Republicans are busy trying to bail Trump out after the tragic midair collision between American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.—a crash that happened on Trump’s watch.

Trump's Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy

MeidasTouch has confirmed that despite their attempts to show concern for flight safety, 180 Republicans voted to defund the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2019. These 180 Republicans voted against the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019, which included funding for the agency responsible for keeping air travel safe.

FAA control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, Source: Harrison Keely / Wikimedia Commons

According to the bill's summary, the legislation provided funding for FAA operations, facilities and equipment, research, engineering and development, and grants-in-aid for airports.

Today in Politics, Bulletin 61. 1/31/25

MeidasTouch previously reported on how Trump’s Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, voted against this same bill. Duffy isn’t the only member of Trump’s new cabinet who voted against FAA funding.

Federal Aviation Administration - Wilbur Wright Federal Building, Source: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons

No Democrats voted against the bill. Only 12 Republicans, including Adam Kinzinger, crossed party lines to support it. The full list of the 180 Republicans who voted against FAA funding can be found here.

This vote took place during the 116th Congress. Of the 180 Republicans who voted against FAA funding, 97 are still serving in the 119th Congress. Additionally, eight of them were appointed or nominated by Trump to serve in his new administration.

Two of them are now governors, and five are currently serving in the U.S. Senate. Below is a breakdown of Republicans currently in government who voted to defund the FAA in 2019:

Trump’s Appointees and Nominees:

• Doug Collins: Secretary of Veterans Affairs

• Sean Duffy: Secretary of Transportation

• John Ratcliffe: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

• Lee Zeldin: Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

• Michael Waltz: National Security Advisor

• Billy Long: Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service

• Devin Nunes: Member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board

• Matt Gaetz: Attorney General (withdrew)

Governors:

• Greg Gianforte: Governor of Montana

• Kelly Armstrong: Governor of North Dakota

Senators:

• Jim Banks: Indiana

• Roger Marshall: Kansas

• Markwayne Mullin: Oklahoma

• John Curtis: Utah

• Ted Budd: North Carolina

House of Representatives:

(Grouped by state for clarity)

Alabama:

• Robert Aderholt

• Gary Palmer

• Mike Rogers

Arizona:

• Andy Biggs

• Paul Gosar

• David Schweikert

Arkansas:

• Rick Crawford

• French Hill

• Steve Womack

• Bruce Westerman

California:

• Ken Calvert

• Doug LaMalfa

• Mike Garcia

• Tom McClintock

Florida:

• Gus Bilirakis

• Vern Buchanan

• Mario Díaz-Balart

• Neal Dunn

• John Rutherford

• Greg Steube

• Daniel Webster

Georgia:

• Rick Allen

• Buddy Carter

• Barry Loudermilk

• Austin Scott

Idaho:

• Russ Fulcher

• Michael Simpson

Illinois:

• Mike Bost

• Darin LaHood

Indiana:

• James Baird

Kansas:

• Ron Estes

Kentucky:

• Andy Barr

• James Comer

• Brett Guthrie

• Thomas Massie

• Hal Rogers

Louisiana:

• Clay Higgins

• Speaker Mike Johnson

• Steve Scalise

Maryland:

• Andy Harris

Michigan:

• Jack Bergman

• John Moolenaar

• Bill Huizenga

• Tim Walberg

Minnesota:

• Tom Emmer

• Pete Stauber

Mississippi:

• Michael Guest

• Trent Kelly

Missouri:

• Sam Graves

• Jason Smith

• Ann Wagner

Nebraska:

• Don Bacon

• Adrian Smith

Nevada:

• Mark Amodei

North Carolina:

• Virginia Foxx

• Richard Hudson

• David Rouzer

Ohio:

• Troy Balderson

• Jim Jordan

• David Joyce

• Bob Latta

• Mike Turner

Oklahoma:

• Tom Cole

• Kevin Hern

• Frank Lucas

Pennsylvania:

• John Joyce

• Mike Kelly

• Dan Meuser

• Scott Perry

• Guy Reschenthaler

• Lloyd Smucker

• Glenn Thompson

South Carolina:

• Ralph Norman

• William Timmons

• Joe Wilson

South Dakota:

• Dusty Johnson

Tennessee:

• Tim Burchett

• Scott DesJarlais

• Chuck Fleischmann

• Mark Green

• David Kustoff

• John Rose

Texas:

• Jodey Arrington

• Brian Babin

• Michael Cloud

• Dan Crenshaw

• Lance Gooden

• Michael McCaul

• Randy Weber

• Roger Williams

Virginia:

• Ben Cline

• Morgan Griffith

• Robert Wittman

Washington:

• Dan Newhouse

West Virginia:

• Carol Miller

Wisconsin:

• Glenn Grothman

• Bryan Steil

Other Positions:

• Debbie Lesko: Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Arizona

• Ralph Abraham: Louisiana Department of Health

• Bill Johnson: President of Youngstown State University