Originally Posted by
Thistle42
Maybe the implied rationale behind that idea is that they don't **trust** Boeing to do it thoroughly? In no way do I wish to suggest that the technicians on the ground (literally!) are not up to the job or would cut corners, it is more a case of the Boeing management looking for shortcuts, therefore the FAA will have a final say (they've had their fingers burnt once already).
Yup, that's it. The FAA doesn't trust Boeing, for the very good reason that the fallout from the MAX debacle has caused much of the world to lose trust in the FAA (see the news articles, linked above, about EASA and UAE doing their own certifications of the 777X). I'm sure the FAA would prefer not to do this, but it must -- correctly, IMHO -- see it as necessary to help preserve American aviation's position in the world.