Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell, chair of the panel, said the vote would take place at an undetermined future date and offered little detail as to why the vote was taking place. has been the subject of Republican criticism for months, delaying his confirmation and leaving the acting administrator in charge of the FAA for nearly a year.

“I’m not looking to nominate Phil Washington,” Cantwell said. “We’ll wait for the information members were asking for and move it to a future date.”

A leading Republican on the committee, Ted Cruz of Texas, a consistent critic of Washington, cheered Wednesday’s postponement.

“I think every member of this committee knows that Mr. Washington is not the right person for the position for which he was nominated,” Cruz said. “Mr. Washington never flew an airplane. He was never a military pilot. He was never a commercial pilot. He never worked for an airline. He worked for the FAA.” No, he never worked as an air traffic controller.”

Cruz has led the Republican campaign against Washington against his relative lack of experience in the airline industry, his links to the Los Angeles corruption scandal, and his military experience.

Washington has led the world’s third-busiest airport since 2021, according to industry group Airports Council International, but before that it spent 20 years working in public transit.

During his confirmation hearings, Washington said his roles as transportation chief in Denver and Los Angeles were relevant experiences that demonstrated his management and leadership skills. Previous FAA administrators appointed by the President of the United States also lacked major aviation experience.

Republicans also noted that Washington was named on a search warrant related to an ongoing corruption investigation in Los Angeles County.

Washington also served 24 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Sergeant Major in 2000. Cruz said his experience made him ineligible for his FAA position, which statutes require a civilian to hold.

U.S. Department of Transportation Top Attorney said this month Washington has been retired for 23 years and should be considered a civilian.

Cruz has repeatedly said Washington does not have enough support to confirm. Independents in the Democratic and Republican caucuses hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate and 14-13 on the committees.

Democrats generally reacted favorably to Washington, at his confirmation hearing Earlier this month, not all Democrats on the committee said they would vote for him.

Harry Child, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Montana Jon Tester, said Wednesday he is a moderate for re-election in an increasingly Republican state and Tester is still considering the nomination, but the committee’s I didn’t ask for a delayed vote.

Kirsten Cinema, an Arizona independent who is participating in the Democratic caucuses, has also not disclosed how she will vote for the nomination. Cinema’s office didn’t respond to a message Wednesday, but her aide typically doesn’t preview the senator’s position on upcoming votes.