During the hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri grilled Calhoun, accusing him of “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 you can out of this company,” Hawley said, per a clip from the hearing uploaded onto YouTube. “You’re strip-mining it. You’re strip-mining Boeing.”
Sen. Hawley also mentioned Calhoun’s nearly $33 million payday for last year and asked the CEO why he still has not resigned.
“Senator, I’m sticking this through. I’m proud of having taken the job. I’m proud of our safety record. And I am very proud of our Boeing people,” Calhoun said.
“You’re proud of the safety record?” Sen. Hawley interrupted.
“I am proud of every action we’ve taken,” Calhoun said.
“Frankly, sir, I think it’s a travesty that you’re still in your job,” Sen. Hawley responded.
Calhoun took over Boeing in January 2020, during a period when the company’s 737 Max planes were grounded following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
Relatives of those killed in the crashes of the Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019 were also present at the hearing. Some of them held up photographs of their deceased loved ones.
The hearing was the first time a high-ranking Boeing official appeared before Congress, ever since a 737 Max 9 door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
Calhoun announced in March that he would retire by the end of the year, but the company is having trouble looking for a replacement.
Hours before the hearing, the subcommittee investigating Boeing’s safety practices released a 204-page report that contained new whistleblower allegations that the 737 program was losing faulty parts, which may have made their way into new aircraft.
Boeing did not respond to a request for comment on Calhoun’s exchange with Sen. Hawley. However, a representative told BI the company was reviewing the new whistleblower claims.
“We continuously encourage employees to report all concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
