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Boeing CEO to begin two days of Congressional questioning

WASHINGTON D.C. — Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg begins two days of congressional testimony on Tuesday about the 737 MAX crisis.

On Monday, the company released his opening statement to the Senate.

"We have learned and are still learning from these accidents," Muilenburg plans to say. "We know we made mistakes and got some things wrong."

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) chairs the House committee investigating the 737 MAX, which will question Muilenburg on Wednesday.

"We first invited them in June and they declined, and I said the next time would not just be an invitation," DeFazio told reporters on Monday. "They said they didn't want to testify before the plane is in the air, and I said, That's not going to happen.'"

DeFazio offered a straightforward question for Muilenburg about the twin crashes linked to a stall-control system: "How the hell did this happen?"

DeFazio's committee has reviewed thousands of documents.

He says a story is emerging.

"It starts with Wall Street and competition and stock price and CEO and board members being tied to profitability and stock price," DeFazio said.

In order to compete with Airbus, DeFazio said Boeing was determined to avoid having airlines pay for the highest level of simulator training on the newest 737 with larger engines.

He also pointed to a missing safety feature in the cockpit called an angle of attack disagree alert.

"They concealed from everybody for a year that, oh by the way, the disagree light that has worked on every other 737, unless you bought the special package, it doesn't work on your airplane," DeFazio said.

Among those who will question Muilenburg is Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Washington).

He represents the Boeing town of Everett.

"Building airplanes is in the DNA of the Pacific Northwest. These folks are hurting because their product, the thing they're proud of, contributed to the deaths of 346 folks," Larsen said.

Sen. Maria Cantwell is the ranking member on the Senate committee that will question Muilenburg.

Her office said Cantwell "plans to ask Muilenburg about the company's commitment to Washington workers."

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