On the subject of the FAA ceding certification responsibilities to Boeing, this story makes for frightening viewing.
Because the FAA handed over responsibility for overseeing and certifying the manufacture of certain structural 737NG parts to Boeing, if Boeing says that these parts are safe, then FAA claims to have no authority to carry out inspection of these parts
And it gets worse. The US Department of Justice seems to be covering the backs of both the FAA and Boeing against the interests of the flying public. It looks like the NTSB is the only organisation left in the US with any integrity.