Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are among the lawmakers coming out in support of grounding all Boeing 737 MAX airplanes.
The aircraft has been grounded in the U.K., Germany, France, and other countries after an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed and killed 157 people, per CNN. This came after another Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed in October, killing 189 people. But the United States has not followed suit and grounded the 737 MAX, and Boeing has said it has "full confidence" in its safety, as has Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, per The New York Times.
Cruz on Tuesday called for all 737 MAX planes to be "temporarily" grounded, saying that it would be "prudent" for the United States to do so "until the [Federal Aviation Administration] confirms the safety of these aircraft and their passengers." Cruz, who is the chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, said he'll hold hearings on these crashes.
Warren similarly said that "today, immediately, the FAA needs to get these planes out of the sky," per Politico, also suggesting Congress should investigate whether "an administration that famously refused to stand up to Saudi Arabia to protect Boeing arms sales has once again put lives at risk for the same reason."
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) agreed that the planes should not continue to fly "until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the plane's airworthiness." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said continuing to fly the model presents an "unnecessary, potentially life-threatening risk." Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called for an investigation and said he told his family to switch planes rather than fly on a Boeing 737 MAX jet, arguing any American who wants to rebook "should be permitted to do so without any expense."
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg spoke with President Trump over the phone on Tuesday and "made the case that the 737 MAX planes should not be grounded in the United States," The New York Times reports.
