By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Monday’s U.S. Senate report states the Federal Aviation Administration (NYSE:) Co must be better at overseeing new aircraft certifications as well as reviewing the allegations of seven whistleblowers in the industry.

This 97-page Senate Commerce Committee Report includes concerns raised following two fatal Boeing 737 MAX accidents in five months. These crashes prompted Congress to ground the plane for 20 months and pass sweeping reforms to the FAA’s certification process of new aircraft in December 2020.

“FAA’s oversight of the certification process has eroded,” the report found, saying the agency “over time, increasingly delegated away its authority” to Boeing and others.

According to the FAA report, “should immediately address undue Pressure at the Boeing Safety Oversight Office” and add that they are “chronically understaffed.”

Boeing didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment.

“FAA’s certification process suffers from undue pressure on line engineers and production staff,” the report said. According to the report, there are not enough safety engineers at FAA Boeing’s oversight office and they must develop a safety culture.

Maria Cantwell (chair of the Committee) wrote Steve Dickson to the FAA Administrator, asking him for a review of “concerns raised” by these whistleblowers. He also asked Dickson to make necessary changes in order to enhance safety within the aviation industry.

Monday’s FAA statement stated that it takes all whistleblower claims seriously and will not tolerate any retaliation for those raising safety concerns.

Three U.S. House Democrats pressed Dickson for more information on how the agency supervised the Boeing 737 MAX, and questioned if the manufacturer was held completely accountable.

According to Senate reports, the 737 MAX crash and U.S. grounded in 2020 cost Boeing over $20 billion. This also caused significant damage to U.S. aviation safety oversight systems.

Dickson stated in November that Boeing was not as good as it was two-years ago. However, they still have a lot to learn.”

He stated that the FAA delegated less responsibility to Boeing regarding aircraft certification, and that manufacturers were being asked for more transparency.

The FAA is looking into a range of Boeing aircraft-related problems.