In a Senate hearing Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley attacked Boeing CEO David Calhoun and urged him to resign.
Hawley grilled the executive on his pay, which this year is $32.8 million, and listed the Boeing disasters of the past year, which are numerous.
“What is it you get paid to do exactly? … why don’t you resign?” — Josh Hawley with an absolutely searing line of questioning for Boeing CEO David Calhoun pic.twitter.com/IsSdp89aUo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2024
“You’re not focused on safety, you’re not focused on quality, you’re not focused on transparency, all of this is on the record,” Hawley said. “But actually, you’re focused on exactly what you were hired to do, which is that you’re cutting corners, you are eliminating safety procedures, you are sticking it to your employees, you are cutting back jobs because you’re trying to squeeze every piece of profit out of this company.”
“You’re strip-mining Boeing. It was one of the greatest American companies ever. It has employed thousands of people in my state, and you are strip-mining it for profit and shareholder value, and you’re being rewarded for it,” Hawley added.
The Missouri Republican certainly sounded like he was saying all of the right things when it comes to Boeing, which has had several scandals over the past several years, particularly with the many involving the 737 MAX plane. But, Hawley’s tough talk belies his record on corporate oversight, which has mostly concerned deregulation and attacking so-called “woke corporations.”
But Boeing is an easy target unpopular with most Americans these days thanks to the bad press over its disasters and the many whistleblowers that have come forward. Hawley has shown similar opportunism after rail disasters, despite receiving thousands in campaign contributions from the railroad industry. Perhaps the senator is worried about his own travel or about his challenger in November’s election, populist Democrat and Marine Corps veteran Lucas Kunce. Whatever the reason, Hawley unfortunately made a great point in his questioning Tuesday. Now, if only it would be followed by regulatory action, which isn’t either Hawley or his Republican colleagues’ strong suit.
