The Senate Commerce Committee’s top Democrat is calling on the Transportation Department’s independent watchdog to launch an investigation into whether Federal Aviation Administration Chief Bryan Bedford “profited from deliberately violating his ethics agreement” by not divesting from an airline company — which he once ran — during a stipulated time frame last year.

Bedford had vowed in that agreement to dispose of his equity in the parent corporation of Republic Airways, the regional carrier he presided over before joining the Trump administration, within 90 days of being confirmed to head the FAA. But he failed to meet that early October deadline, unloading millions of dollars in stock afterward, ethics documents he filed show.

In a Wednesday letter to acting DOT inspector general Mitch Behm, first reported by Blue Light News, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and other Democratic lawmakers alleged that Bedford might have intentionally breached his agreement by waiting to divest his stock until after Republic Airways Holdings completed a merger with another regional airline company, Mesa Air Group.

Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) signed the letter, too.

“We also have serious concerns about the veracity of Mr. Bedford’s shifting explanations for violating” his pledge, the trio said. Bedford ultimately divested his shares fully by late February, disclosing that he sold between $5.5 million and $26.2 million this year.

The lawmakers asked that Behm probe if the FAA chief “made material misrepresentations to Congress or the Office of Government Ethics” and urged him to dig into whether “any disciplinary or corrective actions are warranted,” including having Bedford relinquish “any excess capital gains he has realized.”

They argued that it appears he could have sold his stock on time, adding that the reason for his “divestiture obligation is obvious”: He holds significant sway over the regional airline industry as FAA administrator.

The agency told Blue Light News it will respond to the lawmakers directly and noted that Bedford has divested his stock. Republic Airways Holdings didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bedford previously defended himself during congressional testimony in December, saying, in part, that he followed career ethics officials’ advice.

He added: “I played it right down the fairway, completely transparent, open, honest about where I was at, what I was trying to accomplish.”

The inspector general’s office confirmed to Blue Light News that it received and will review the senators’ letter but otherwise has no comment for now.

Bedford retired as chief executive officer and president at Republic Airways Holdings, a private firm, on July 1, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The Senate OK’d him a little over a week later.

Under the terms of his ethics agreement, Bedford committed to divesting from the company no later than Oct. 7.

But in paperwork he signed that day, first reported in November by POLITICO, Bedford said he had yet to ditch his stock. He added that he would remain recused from any matters affecting the carrier’s financial interests while he retained his equity and was seeking an extension of his deadline.

He contacted Judith Kaleta, DOT’s deputy general counsel, to request another 60 days, citing his busy work schedule.

Kaleta wrote to OGE, the federal government’s central ethics office, urging it to grant Bedford’s ask.

Then, there seemed to be a misunderstanding. In an October conversation with OGE, outlined in a later email exchange, Kaleta recalled that “it was not clear to me that [the office] had reached a formal decision on the request.”

But OGE on Dec. 1 informed Kaleta in writing that it wouldn’t grant Bedford an extension and inquired about whether he had divested, saying the office would alert the Senate to the issue. Subsequently, Kaleta argued that she had thought Bedford’s ask was still unresolved; OGE responded: “We were not aware you believed the request for an amendment was still pending. … We conveyed being busy with your position did not constitute an ‘unusual hardship.’”

By this point, Republic Airways Holdings and Mesa Air Group had merged; the finalized deal was announced in late November. The combined carrier became publicly traded.

Kaleta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Patrick Shepherd, an OGE spokesperson, in a statement said the office is “committed to transparency and citizen oversight of government” but doesn’t respond to questions about specific individuals.

Under the merger, Bedford was able to turn 16,733 private shares into “at least” 652,475 shares in the merged entity, according to the Democrats’ Wednesday letter, which cites an SEC filing.

OGE notified Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) of Bedford’s ethics agreement violation on Dec. 8, and Cantwell expressed outrage over the matter.

During a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing later that month, Bedford faced sharp questions from some Democrats about the topic. He argued that he had simply followed the advice of career ethics officials; he was appropriately recusing himself in the meantime; and his hands were now tied due to the merger, with his stock “terminated.”

“I’m waiting for the shares to be reissued under the new organizational structure,” he said, apparently referring to the combined company, which is still called Republic Airways Holdings.

But he added: “My intention was always to complete the merger and to sell the shares in the market. That was my intention coming into government.”

His ethics agreement made no mention of this, and the Democrats’ Wednesday letter homed in on his testimony before the subcommittee.

Bedford disclosed in March that he had completed his divestment as of Feb. 20.

In a separate ethics document released in April, he noted that he had sold between $5.5 million and $26.2 million in stock in the company since the beginning of this year. Federal officials like Bedford only report transaction amounts in wide ranges.

Further complicating the situation, Bedford in that paperwork also revealed a sale of up to $5 million in stock on Oct. 21, the trio of Democrats said in their letter. This occurred after his ethics agreement deadline but before the merger was completed.

Bedford “never mentioned this transaction in his official correspondence or congressional testimony in December,” they said.

It appears, the lawmakers said, that Bedford was capable of fully divesting on time.

At close on Nov. 26, the day after the announcement of the merger’s completion, Republic Airways Holdings was trading at $21 per share. It stood at $19.75 on Feb. 20.

The Trump administration saw yet another high-profile departure Wednesday, with Navy Secretary John Phelan heading to the exits. Senate Republicans are bracing for even more.

President Donald Trump’s recent administration shakeup — the sacking of Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi as well as this week’s departure of Lori Chavez-DeRemer — has created openings for a slew of potential confirmations, and GOP senators are contemplating who might be next and how quickly Trump should make any further changes.

No Republicans are publicly urging any particular oustings. But privately GOP senators believe Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel could be at risk of leaving — voluntarily or not.

“He’s in a bad mood,” one GOP senator said about Trump. “He’s preparing to really let a lot of them go.”

A further Cabinet shakeup would add more onto the Senate’s plate, and some GOP senators want anyone eyeing an exit to do it sooner rather than later to give the lawmakers the longest runway possible for confirming a successor.

On their minds is looming work on a budget reconciliation bill (maybe two), soon-to-lapse surveillance powers, a spate of lower-level nominations plus a potential Supreme Court vacancy.

“The number of working days are very limited,” Sen. Thom Tillis said in an interview. “You just do the math. It’s a very compressed schedule.”

That’s not to mention the looming midterms — and the possibility the GOP could lose control of the chamber.

Another GOP senator granted anonymity to speak candidly said that it would “make sense to do it now” and “you never know what’s going to happen to the Senate” in the midterms.

But several acknowledged the obvious: Trump will move on his own timeline.

And Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate already has a “full plate, so confirming new people is going to take a while.”

What else we’re watching:

— Eyes on the House after Senate vote-a-rama: Just after 3:30 a.m., the Senate voted 50-48 to green-light the GOP’s plan to send tens of billions of dollars to immigration enforcement agencies in the coming years. Now House Republicans need to approve the budget blueprint before GOP leaders can move on to crafting the party-line package itself. Thune told reporters that Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t guaranteed the House can adopt the budget resolution in its current form.

— The latest on 702: Thune early Thursday also filed cloture on a three-year extension of the key spy authority known as Section 702 — an insurance policy in case the House can’t agree to a plan. “If the House can’t move by sometime tomorrow, then my assumption is we’re going to have to figure it out next week because we can’t afford to go dark,” he said.

Jennifer Scholtes contributed to this report.

If you’re a Cabinet official thinking of pursuing a new professional opportunity, Senate Republicans have a request: Now’s the time to call it quits.

The departure this week of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is following former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi out the door, has some GOP lawmakers pondering a larger Cabinet shakeup and what that could mean to an unsettled Senate floor schedule.

Senate Republicans are already trying to juggle a shrinking window for lawmaking before the November midterms — including at least one potential party-line budget reconciliation bill, a litany of measures they are negotiating with the House and, some hope, a possible Supreme Court vacancy.

That’s not to mention the growing uncertainty about what will happen in the midterms themselves, with many Republicans growing concerned that their four-seat majority could be at risk.

“The number of working days are very limited,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said in an interview. “You just do the math. It’s a very compressed schedule.”

Tillis is among a group of Republican senators who believe Trump should make any further changes to his inner circle sooner rather than later to give the Senate maximum flexibility in confirming replacements. Waiting, they fear, could mean significant delays in confirmations or worse if Democrats can retake the majority.

Another GOP senator, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said any personnel shakeup is ultimately up to Trump but that it would “make sense to do it now.”

“As we get closer to the election … you never know what’s going to happen to the Senate,” the senator said.

No GOP senator is openly pointing to any particular Cabinet official as likely to depart. But three privately fingered Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as someone they believe the president is likely to remove.

A fourth questioned how long Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, would remain in her post given her split with the president on recent issues such as the Iran war and a soon-to-lapse surveillance authority, though many Republicans believe she has powerful allies within the White House and outside of the administration.

FBI Director Kash Patel is also under fresh scrutiny after The Atlantic published allegations of drinking and erratic behavior, which he has denied and launched a defamation lawsuit over. Two of the GOP senators granted anonymity to speak candidly said they believed Patel was on the rocks.

“He’s in a bad mood, so he’s letting a lot of them go,” one of the four said about Trump. “He’s preparing to really let a lot of them go.”

The senator added that the shakeup should happen sooner rather than later, saying, “It’s not like we’ll have that much time.”

The urgency was further underscored Wednesday by the sudden departure of Navy Secretary John Phelan, who was not a Cabinet member but occupied a senior Senate-confirmed post that is now vacant in wartime.

Other senators aren’t fretting, noting that any move to remake the Cabinet depends solely on Trump, who has been known to mull privately for months about potentially firing someone before taking action.

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said. “Typically, you see some changes before, like right after the midterms, in preparation for the next two-year cycle.”

The White House defended Trump’s personnel choices in a statement Wednesday.

“The President has assembled a world-class cabinet who are tirelessly implementing the President’s agenda and achieving tremendous results for the American people,” spokesperson Davis Ingle said. “They will continue fulfilling the many promises President Trump was elected to enact. The White House is appreciative of their service to this country.”

The prospects for replacing Bondi, Chavez-DeRemer, Phelan and others could vary wildly.

Republicans were able to confirm Markwayne Mullin to succeed Noem at DHS in a matter of weeks — but that was the exception, not the norm. Mullin enjoyed bipartisan support as a sitting senator and moved through a committee with few procedural hurdles.

The Judiciary Committee, in contrast, has a 28-day holdover period between when it receives a nominee questionnaire and when it holds a hearing, meaning the Senate’s consideration of any attorney general nominee will be much slower.

Several committees including Judiciary, Banking and Finance all have one-seat margins between the parties, meaning that nominees that can’t garner Democratic support risk getting blocked by opposition from just one GOP panel member.

In addition to the Cabinet nominees, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is working to assemble a package of lower-level nominations to confirm as a group — though even that can be tricky. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), for instance, is holding up all Coast Guard promotions over a contract dispute.

Then there’s the growing pile of backed-up legislation, including the renewal of a contentious surveillance law, a stalled-out housing bill, the GOP’s party-line push for immigration enforcement and a potential push for yet another budget reconciliation bill. The chamber will also be out of session for long stretches later this year to accommodate midterm campaigning.

“We’ve got a full plate, so confirming new people is going to take a while,” Thune said.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) added that the Senate was also busy with the annual government funding process and assembling the mammoth defense policy bill.

“They’ll do it based on what’s best for them and the president,” he said of any departing deputies. “I think it’s totally up to the president as to when he would want to make a submission.”

The White House is signaling that it’s aware of the Senate’s calendar as it considers staffing shakeups and is trying to give the chamber enough time to confirm replacements before the end of the year approaches. Tillis warned that if Trump waits until June or July to oust additional officials, the Senate could run out of time to confirm them.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) questioned if the time crunch wasn’t already so severe that filling any additional Cabinet departures would have to be a “lame duck thing” — referring to the traditional session held between an election and the beginning of the next Congress.

“I think we’re probably better right now … having the stability,” Cramer added.

The North Dakota Republican pointed to other items he wants to get done in the meantime, including appropriations, permitting reform, a farm bill and judicial nominations.

“There are big things to do yet,” Cramer said, noting the “constant Supreme Court chatter” he’d heard. “In fact, that would be more important.”

Leo Shane III contributed to this report.