Politics

(WASHINGTON) — House Oversight Chairman James Comer has issued the committee’s first subpoena since taking over the gavel, targeting Bank of America for records related to multiple associates of Hunter Biden, according to the Democratic ranking member on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, who accused the Republican chairman of coordinating with lawyers for Donald Trump to block a previous probe into the former president’s business.

In a letter obtained by ABC News, Raskin details that the subpoena called for “all financial records” spanning 14 years, beginning in 2009, from three of Hunter Biden’s business associates.

The subpoena was disclosed in a letter that Raskin wrote accusing Comer of coordinating with former President Trump’s team about a 2019 subpoena from the committee regarding foreign spending at Trump-owned properties. Attorneys for Trump have previously argued that seeking to show that foreign officials have stayed at Trump-owned properties because Trump owned them is “too speculative.”

Raskin accuses Comer of working with Trump’s lawyers to prevent the former president’s longtime accounting firm Mazars USA from producing evidence related to his tax dealings. Mazars had previously agreed to hand over documents requested by the Oversight Committee through a House subpoena issued in April 2019, when Democrats held the gavel.

According to correspondence obtained by Democrats, Trump’s lawyers told a counsel for Mazars to stop providing documents related to Trump’s accounting practices to Oversight at the behest of GOP investigators.

“On January 19, 2023, Patrick Strawbridge, counsel for Donald Trump, wrote to counsel for Mazars, stating ‘I do not know the status of Mazars [sic] production, but my understanding is that the Committee has no interest in forcing Mazars to complete it and is willing to release it from further obligations under the settlement agreement.’ When counsel for Mazars sought clarification, Mr. Strawbridge confirmed this direction had been provided to him, twice, by the Acting General Counsel of the House of Representatives, in his capacity as counsel to the Committee,” Raskin wrote.

CNN was first to report on the letter.

A House GOP committee spokesperson denied the allegation from Raskin, telling ABC News in a statement. “The accusation by Ranking Member Raskin is completely unfounded and untrue. There has been no coordination or discussion with anyone from the Committee’s majority with anyone about the Mazars documents.”

The House committee also confirmed it had subpoenaed Bank of America for records related to associates of Hunter Biden: “The Oversight Committee has subpoenaed and obtained financial records related to the Biden family’s influence peddling. These documents solidify our understanding of several areas of concern and have opened new avenues of investigation about the Biden family’s business schemes.”

A representative for Hunter Biden had no comment when contacted by ABC News. The younger Biden has previously denied any wrongdoing, ethically or criminally, but has acknowledged that his family ties likely bolstered his career. President Joe Biden has said that he and his son never discussed his son’s overseas business dealings.

White House spokesman Ian Sams previously called a Comer-led Feb. 8 hearing on Twitter’s handling of Hunter Biden-related tweets a “bizarre political stunt.”

“This appears to be the latest effort by the House Republican majority’s most extreme MAGA members to question and re-litigate the outcome of the 2020 election,” Sams said at the time. “This is not what the American people want their leaders to work on.”

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(SAN DIEGO) — With a Virginia-class submarine as his backdrop, President Joe Biden on Monday, along with the prime ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, outlined a multi-phase plan to deliver state-of-the-art, nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, as part of the what’s called the AUKUS partnership to help counter China.

“AUKUS. It’s an unusual name, AUKUS, but it’s a powerful entity. You know, when our country’s first announced AUKUS 18 months ago, I’m not at all sure that anyone believed that how much progress we’d be able to make together and how quickly we’d accomplish it,” Biden said at a U.S. Navy base in San Diego, using the acronym for the three countries combined.

The partnership was established in 2021 with the goal of providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, which can travel farther and stay under water for longer than other subs.

The announcement appears to be one the administration’s most direct efforts to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. In his remarks, the president underscored the importance of AUKUS to ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains “free and open.”

“Our unprecedented trilateral cooperation, I believe, is testament to the strength of the long-standing ties that united us and to our shared commitment of ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free and open, prosperous and secure, defined by opportunity for all. A shared commitment to create a future rooted in our common values. That’s the objective the United States shares not only with the UK and Australia, it’s shared by our friends in the region,” Biden said.

The president stressed throughout his remarks that the subs are nuclear-powered, and will not contain nuclear weapons, and that the technology, while complicated, is completely safe.

“I want to be clear to everyone from the outset. Right off the bat, so there’s no confusion or misunderstanding on this critical point. These subs are powered, not nuclear-armed subs, they’re nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed. Australia’s a proud non-nuclear weapon state and is committed to stay that way. These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind on them. Each of us standing here today, representing the United States, Australia and Great Britain is deeply committed to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime,” Biden said.

Biden laid out the broad strokes of the three-phases plan, starting with the actions getting underway this year to begin to train Australian personnel on the nuclear subs, which Biden said requires “years of training to master.”

“Beginning this year, Australian personnel will embed with U.S. and U.K. crews on boats and a basis in our schools and our shipyards. We’ll also begin to increase our port visits to Australia. In fact, as we speak, the nuclear-powered sub, USS Asheville, is making a port call in Perth as we speak,” he said. “And later this decade, we’ll also be establishing a rotational presence of U.S. and U.K. nuclear-powered subs in Australia. to help develop the workforce Australia is gonna need to build and maintain its fleet.”

“And with the support and approval of Congress, beginning in the early 2030s, the United States will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia with the potential to sell up to two more if needed, jumpstarting their undersea capability and decade earlier than many predicted. But the ultimate goal isn’t just selling subs in Australia, it’s developing something new together. We’re calling it the SSN AUKUS. This new state-of-the-art, conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine that will work, that will combine U.S. submarine — U.K. submarine technology and design with American technology,” he added.

In his remarks following the president, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese underscored just how significant it is that the U.S. is partnering with them on nuclear-powered subs, and sharing the propulsion technology.

“This is the first time in 65 years and only the second time in history that the United States has shared its nuclear propulsion technology, and we thank you for it,” Albanese said to Biden.

Biden highlighted the agreement would also be positive for workers in all three countries, as they each worked to ramp up production and operation of the subs.

“This partnership is going to mean an awful lot for good paying jobs for all workers in our countries, including a lot of union jobs,” Biden said.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the partnership “the most significant multilateral defense partnership in generations.”

“Joe, Anthony, we represent three allies who have stood shoulder to shoulder together for more than a century. Three peoples who have shed blood together in defense of our shared values and three democracies that are coming together again, to fulfill that higher purpose of maintaining freedom, peace and security now and for generations to come,” Sunak said in his closing remarks.

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(NEW YORK) — The sudden collapse of two regional U.S. banks in three days has some Americans wondering if their bank could be next.

President Biden addressed the nation Monday morning to reassure Americans — “Your deposits will be there when you need them” — and pledging to take action to “reduce the risks of this happening again.”

The federal government took “extraordinary measures” to make sure customers of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank would be made whole and have access to all of their money immediately — whether it was FDIC insured or not.

Biden stressed that these banks were not being bailed out by taxpayers, as was the case during the 2008 financial crisis

“No losses will be — and this is an important point — no losses will be borne by the taxpayers,” he said. Instead, the money will come from the fees that banks pay into the government’s Deposit Insurance Fund.

The good news is that most Americans are covered by the FDIC because the majority of people have less than $250,000 in any one specific bank account.

The FDIC is an independent government agency that was created by the Banking Act of 1933 during the Great Depression to restore trust in the American banking system. Since then, no bank customer has lost insured funds due to a bank failure. The FDIC is funded by premiums paid by banks and savings associations.

The agency will insure up to $250,000, per depositor, in qualified accounts at insured banks. For example, a married couple with a small business may have up to $250,000 insured in an account in one spouse’s name, up to $250,000 in an account in the other spouse’s name and up to $250,000 in a business account. The balance of a joint account can exceed $250,000 and still be fully insured.

Another example: if the same two co-owners jointly own both a $375,000 certificate of deposit (CD) and a $125,000 savings account at the same insured bank, the two accounts would be added together and insured up to $500,000, providing up to $250,000 in insurance coverage for each co-owner.

FDIC insurance coverage includes checking and savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, retirement savings, cashier’s checks and money orders. FDIC insurance does not cover financial products including stocks and bonds, mutual funds, crypto assets, life insurance policies, annuities, municipal securities, safe deposit boxes or their contents or U.S. Treasury bills, bonds or notes, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Banking experts say one way to boost your FDIC coverage is to “spread the wealth” and open accounts at several banks to hedge risk, particularly if you have more than $250,000 in deposits. You can also check https://edie.fdic.gov/the FDIC’s siteto see whether your funds are insured.

How do you know if your bank is financially fit? Currently, banks with over $250 billion in assets must undergo stringent “stress tests” annually to ensure they have enough cash on hand to weather an emergency, such as a deep recession or a run on the bank. These tests are part of the banking reforms that were implemented to restore confidence in the U.S. banking system after the financial crisis of 2008.

In 2018 under the Trump administration, some of those rules were rolled back, allowing banks with less than $250 billion in assets to be exempt from the tests, including Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. In the wake of those two bank failures, President Biden said he will ask Congress and regulators to strengthen the requirements once again for small and mid-sized banks.

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(NEW YORK) — Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified for about three hours Monday before a grand jury in New York that is hearing evidence of former President Donald Trump’s alleged role in a hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis, declined to comment on the substance of the testimony but said Cohen will return Wednesday to finish answering questions.

“This is about accountability, the facts and the truth,” Davis said.

Cohen said he feels fine and noted that he has been living with the case for the last five years.

Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 campaign to keep her quiet about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump. The former president has denied the affair and his attorneys have framed the funds as an extortion payment.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office has been investigating whether Trump falsified business records when the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Cohen for the payment then recorded the reimbursement as a legal expense.

In recent weeks former Trump advisers Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway and several other witnesses have testified in the probe.

Cohen served prison time after he pleaded guilty to federal charges that included campaign finance violations related to the hush payment. Charging documents said Cohen acted at the behest of “Individual 1,” who he has identified as Trump.

The district attorney’s office recently informed Trump of his right to testify before the grand jury, sources previously told ABC News. New York law requires so-called “cross notice” so potential defendants are afforded a chance to tell the grand jury their side of the story, but the invitation is typically only extended if prosecutors are planning to move forward with an indictment.

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina told George Stephanopoulos Monday on ABC’s Good Morning America that the former president has “no plans” to participate in the probe.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has previously won the tax fraud convictions against Trump’s company and its former finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, but Trump himself has never been charged with a crime. The Trump Organization said it would appeal the conviction.

Trump has dismissed the Stormy Daniels investigation as a witch hunt and has insisted he did “absolutely nothing wrong.” His spokesman has called the possibility of an indictment in New York “simply insane.”

Trump is also awaiting charging decisions from two other entities. The district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, is investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state, and a special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland is investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol and his handling of classified material.

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(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — Donald Trump is holding a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, on Monday, just three days after Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis — widely expected to be the former president’s toughest opponent for the GOP nomination — filled a 300-person casino room in the same eastern river town.

It’s Trump’s first visit to the Hawkeye State since he announced his 2024 White House bid in November, but it’s hardly his first time in the critical early-nominating state. Now embarking on his third presidential bid, the Trump has over the past eight years hosted a number of rallies, and takes credit for moving the formerly reliable purple state to a “reliable MAGA stronghold.”

“President Trump’s America First Policies continue to resonate with the men and women of Eastern Iowa and will propel him to an overwhelming victory in the First-in-the-Nation Caucuses,” his campaign said in an email ahead of his stop.

On Friday, DeSantis, still undeclared, launched his first Iowa swing of the 2024 presidential cycle — followed by a Saturday visit in the early-voting state of Nevada and ahead of a scheduled New Hampshire stop, all while he’s privately indicated to allies he intends to launch his candidacy in May or possibly June, sources familiar with his plans told ABC News.

In Iowa, Trump will speak on his 2024 education platform, according to a source familiar with his speech, as well as make remarks on agriculture, energy and trade. His education-focused remarks may also mirror those of DeSantis, who has structured his governorship and impending run around the hot-button GOP issue.

On Friday in Davenport, DeSantis touted his stance on Florida education, which he said was based on “educating our kids not indoctrinating our kids.”

The governor pushed his sweeping conservative agenda that includes prohibiting higher education institutions from using any funding to support Diversity Equity Inclusion or Critical Race Theory.

“We’re also leading on ensuring that our school system is focusing on educating our kids not indoctrinating our kids,” DeSantis said.

“And also, university wide our whole system. The legislature is working on a redesign. We’re eliminating all of the DI bureaucracies. It’s discriminatory …”We will fight the woke in the legislature we will fight the woke in education. We will fight the woke and the businesses we will never ever surrender to the woke mob. Our state is where woke goes to die,” he said.

The topic is a winning issue with Iowa Republicans, as GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds has repeatedly touted her leadership among members of the GOP in the area of education. DeSantis sat down for conversation with during his Iowa sweep last week.

Reynolds was the first of a growing faction of Republican governors who have embraced school voucher programs, which critics warn could destroy their states’ public school systems.

As they lead in early Republican primary polls, Trump and DeSantis’ dueling events in Iowa could indicate their respective shows of force. Trump remains a frontrunner in the race among Iowans, though his lead over confirmed and expected challengers in polls has waned in recent months.

On Friday, just days ahead of Trump’s Monday visit, a a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that if former President Donald Trump were to be the Republican nominee again 74% of Iowa Republicans say they would likely vote for him in the 2024 general election — although the number of Iowans who say they would “definitely” vote for him has decreased by more than 20 percentage points since June 2021.

But the poll also found that Desantis’ favorability numbers were on par with Trump’s–just two points behind the former president.

But Trump’s laser-like focus on Iowa kicked off Monday ahead of his Davenport visit with an announcement of his Eastern Iowa leadership team, “demonstrating support from the most conservative and influential Republican leaders in a key region of the Hawkeye State,” his campaign email said.

The slate of legislative endorsees include Matthew Whitaker, the former acting attorney general under President Trump; Rod Blum, a former congressman from Iowa; and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, the son of Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, among others.

Trump’s visit also comes as there are multiple criminal and civil investigations still actively probing his personal finances, his handling of classified information after leaving the White House, his namesake business, and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

These investigations in several jurisdictions around the country are continuing to move forward, with numerous key developments unfolding in recent weeks.

ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Rachel Scott, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci, Alex Mallin and Will Steakin contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was discharged from the hospital on Monday after suffering a concussion from a Wednesday night fall, according to a statement from his communications director, David Popp.

He’ll now head to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for physical therapy, Popp said.

“At the advice of his physician, the next step will be a period of physical therapy at an inpatient rehabilitation facility before he returns home,” Popp said.

Popp said McConnell’s recovery from a concussion is “proceeding well.”

McConnell, who’s 81, also suffered a “minor rib fracture” during the fall on Wednesday, per the statement, an injury not previously revealed.

A McConnell aide said the senator is not expected back at work this week.

With regard to how long he might need to get therapy, the aide said, “That decision will be made by the Leader’s physicians and the therapists. It is very common to undergo physical therapy to regain strength after a hospital stay and this ranges anywhere from a week to two weeks.”

McConnell has walked with a limp after overcoming polio at a young age and suffered a fall in early August 2019, fracturing his shoulder.

He has served as Senate Republican leader since 2007 and became the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate earlier this year.

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(WASHINGTON) — The White House on Monday asked former Vice President Mike Pence to apologize for what it called a “homophobic joke” he made over the weekend geared at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so because he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punchline,” White House press secretary Karine-Jean Pierre said in a statement. “He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people, who are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Pence, headlining at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington for journalists and politicians, mocked Buttigieg for taking parental leave after the birth of his adopted twins while he said Americans faced issues with air travel.

“He took two months ‘maternity’ leave whereupon thousands of travelers were stranded in airports, the air traffic system shut down, and airplanes nearly collided on our runways. Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression,” Pence said, according to reporters present.

Notably, Buttigieg’s twins were born prematurely, developed Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV) and one was hospitalized and put on a ventilator, a point his husband, Chasten, called out in a tweet directed at the rumored 2024 presidential hopeful.

“An honest question for you, @Mike_Pence, after your attempted joke this weekend. If your grandchild was born prematurely and placed on a ventilator at two months old – their tiny fingers wrapped around yours as the monitors beep in the background – where would you be?” he said.

Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff, called the response from the White House “faux outrage.”

“The White House would be wise to focus less on placating the woke police and focus more on bank failures, planes nearly colliding in mid-air, train derailments, and the continued supply chain crisis,” Short said in a tweet.

It’s far from the first time that Buttigieg has faced criticism from those on the right for taking paid parental leave, with Pence’s language echoing lines repeatedly espoused by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

“Pete Buttigieg has been on leave from his job since August after adopting a child. Paternity leave, they call it. Trying to figure out how to breastfeed, no word on how that went,” Carlson said on his prime-time show two months after the twins were born.

But Pence notably broke with Carlson’s recent whitewashing of Jan. 6 in his speech Saturday and offered his strongest rebuke of former President Donald Trump yet.

“History will hold Donald Trump accountable for Jan. 6,” Pence said at the dinner. “Make no mistake about it: What happened that day was a disgrace, and it mocks decency to portray it in any other way. President Trump was wrong. His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day.”

“Tourists don’t injure 140 police officers by simply sightseeing,” he added. “Tourists don’t break down doors to get to the Speaker of the House. Tourists don’t threaten public officials.”

ABC News has reached out to Pence’s team for comment.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden spoke out Monday morning in an effort to reassure Americans there is no need for panic after federal agencies stepped in following the failures of two big banks over the weekend.

“Americans can rest assured that our banking system is safe. Your deposits are safe. Let me also assure you, we will not stop at this. We’ll do whatever is needed,” Biden said from the White House.

The federal government said Sunday that all depositors at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank will be protected and be able to get access to their money Monday morning, with the funds coming from special fund set up by the nation’s banks and from the sale of the banks’ assets, not from taxpayers.

“No losses will be borne by the taxpayers,” Biden repeated Monday.

“Because of the actions that our regulators already taken, every American should feel confident that their deposits will be there if and when they need them,” he continued. “Second, the management of these banks will be fired. If the bank is taken over by FDIC, the people running the bank should not work there anymore.”

“Third, investors in the banks will not be protected. They knowingly took a risk, and when the risk didn’t pay off, investors lose their money. That’s how capitalism works. And fourth, are important questions of how these banks got into the circumstance in the first place. We must get the full accounting of what happened and why those responsible can be held accountable,” he said.

Biden also pledged that he would take action to “reduce the risks of this happening again,” pointing the finger at the Trump administration for, according to Biden, rolling back some of the requirements the Obama administration put in place during their administration.

“Unfortunately, the last administration rolled back some of these requirements. I’m going to ask Congress and the banking regulators to strength the rules for banks, to make it less likely this kind of bank failure would happen again, and to protect American jobs and small businesses,” Biden said.

His comments echoed what he said in a statement Sunday, “I am pleased that they reached a prompt solution that protects American workers and small businesses, and keeps our financial system safe. The solution also ensures that taxpayer dollars are not put at risk.”

“The American people and American businesses can have confidence that their bank deposits will be there when they need them. I am firmly committed to holding those responsible for this mess fully accountable and to continuing our efforts to strengthen oversight and regulation of larger banks so that we are not in this position again,” he said.

His comments came just before the U.S. markets and banks open and before he heads on a previously scheduled trip to California. He did not take any questions.

ABC News’ Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration is expected to approve a roughly $8 billion oil drilling project in Alaska, which is a significant climate decision for the administration that had pledged to move away from fossil fuels, a source confirms to ABC News.

The White House, however, is pushing back, saying no final decision has been made on the ConocoPhillips Willow Project proposal.

“President Biden is delivering on the most aggressive climate agenda of any U.S. president in history and spurring an unprecedented expansion of clean energy. The Department of the Interior will make an independent decision on the Willow Project,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Saturday. “No final decisions have been made – anyone who says there has been a final decision is wrong.”

The Willow Project was initially approved in 2020 by the Trump administration, but a federal judge threw out the permits for the oil project in August 2021, faulting the way the federal government had assessed its environmental impact. The Interior Department, which is responsible for the final decision on whether to approve the project, has said it has “substantial concerns” about the environmental impact of the project, including the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it would generate and impacts to local wildlife.

The Willow Project would generate 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak– 600 million over the project’s lifetime – and is expected to create as many as 2,500 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs near the village of Nuiqsut on Alaska’s North Slope, according to ConocoPhillips.

Multiple proposals have been put forth, including one from the Bureau of Land Management, that reduced the number of drilling sites, but it’s unclear which would be the final version.

It’s drawn bipartisan support from the Alaska Congressional delegation, who met with Biden at the White House last week.

“Encouraging news on Willow today–seems like the Administration is taking Alaskans’ support for this project seriously. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I hope the Admin stays the course and reapproves this project. Alaskans are watching!” Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola tweeted Friday night.

But the decision could prove problematic for Biden heading into an expected 2024 re-election bid, given his pledge during the 2020 campaign to allow “no more drilling on federal lands, period.”

Climate groups have called the project a potential “carbon bomb” and said it would lock in fossil fuel production that the world needs to move away from.

Environmental impact statements for the project estimate it will generate up to 287 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years.

Videos from activists calling on Biden to block Willow have prompted a viral trend on TikTok, as the hashtag #StopWillow has garnered almost 150 million views.

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(WASHINGTON) — As the aviation system is facing questions after at least six “close call” incidents between airplanes since December, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy acknowledged risks while voicing confidence in the system.

“We are still the safest aviation system in the world,” Homendy told ABC “This Week” anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday. “There are clearly risks that we need to evaluate, and this is why the NTSB is investigating several incidents so it doesn’t become something more catastrophic.”

One of these incidents involved a United Airlines 777 aircraft apparently taking a nosedive after departing from Hawaii. The plane carrying hundreds of passengers from Maui to San Francisco went down to 775 feet above the Pacific Ocean before pilots could regain control. A formal investigation was not opened until two months later, as United reportedly did not report the incident to NTSB because they believed there was no need to as there were no passenger injuries or damage to the aircraft.

“Should that criteria be changed?” Raddatz pressed.

“The criteria for accidents and incidents is something that we will look at and constantly review,” Homendy responded. “We didn’t have a full investigation of it because it occurred on the same day as another very turbulent event in Hawaii. But it is something that we are investigating.”

Raddatz asked whether the aviation system is being pushed “too hard” following the immense toll the COVID-19 pandemic took on the industry.

“I think it’s a difficult time for the aviation industry,” Homendy responded. “I think, you know, we saw a lot of layoffs. We saw a lot of employees retire, we have new employees coming on that are being trained. We have drones coming online, air taxis, so it’s a difficult time and it’s really a transitional time for the aviation industry.”

Homendy assured Raddatz that the National Transportation Safety Board is “very concerned” about these incidents, emphasizing the overall progress of aviation over the last several decades.

“Can you confirm that these incidents, these very close calls are on the rise?” Raddatz asked.

“They are on the rise,” Homendy answered, adding that “the FAA needs to take action.”

Data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the number of overall runway incidents at U.S. airports has increased, but the number of most serious close calls at U.S. airports has decreased over the last two decades.

The NTSB chief also addressed concerns over railroad safety, particularly in the wake of the February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Homendy on Sunday said the agency is not satisfied with new safety goals outlined by Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw.

“They are not robust enough,” Homendy told Raddatz. “I think we’ll be looking at more recommendations as part of our investigation.”

Shaw testified in front of Congress this week as the town of East Palestine is still reeling from a toxic spill in early February. That and other incidents raised questions about overall transportation safety.

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