They were seen reacting way too late in the MCAS debacle, to the point other countries were pondering re-evaluating the trust-by-default position the FAA has.

They were seen reacting way too late in the MCAS debacle, to the point other countries were pondering re-evaluating the trust-by-default position the FAA has. The FAA must be seen to react decisively to keep their trust. This way, they keep carrying enough weight to declare the airplanes safe again later.