(RepublicanReport.org) – Boeing has been hitting the headlines lately for concerning incidents involving its planes. Since then, whistleblowers have been coming forward, detailing their concerns over safety regulations at Boeing. They claim the company cuts corners to maximize profits, putting public safety at risk. Recently, Boeing CEO David Calhoun spoke at a Senate committee hearing.
On June 18, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) confronted the company head about his multi-million dollar salary, considering Boeing’s recent issues. During a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing, Hawley asked Calhoun about his salary. When the CEO was reluctant to answer, the Missouri lawmaker provided the information. He noted that Calhoun makes $32.8 million, a 45% increase from the previous year. Hawley quipped that it was a “travesty” that the company head still had his job.
The senator asked Calhoun what he did at Boeing to earn that salary, to which the CEO replied he ran the company. Noting the recent whistleblower accounts about alleged behind-the-scenes safety and quality control issues at the aerospace company, Hawley stated Calhoun wasn’t transparent about the inner workings of Boeing. He then accused the CEO of “cutting corners” while trying to boost company profits. The executive denied the accusation, stating he was “proud” of Boeing’s work and safety record. Calhoun said he didn’t “recognize any of the Boeing [Hawley] described.”
Before the hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released new evidence from whistleblowers about the safety issues at Boeing in the manufacturing department. He said those who “speak up are silenced and sidelined,” and the culture at Boeing “needs to be repaired.” The alleged evidence included whistleblower accounts regarding the mismanagement of nonconforming parts and the removal of quality inspections.
During the hearing, Calhoun apologized to the families of the victims who died in two Boeing crashes, stated the aviation industry as a whole needs to upgrade its safety standards, and admitted a lack of knowledge on the assembly line affected the safety culture at Boeing.
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