Bill Clinton: “Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry April 7, 1993 Today I am signing into law H.R. 904, a bill providing for…”

“Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry April 7, 1993 Today I am signing into law H.R. 904, a bill providing for appointments to the ``National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry.'' I am pleased to have the opportunity to join with the Congress so quickly in the new session in this effort to gain a fuller understanding of the difficulties facing the Nation's aviation industry--both airlines and aircraft manufacturing. The recent experience of the aviation industry has not been good. Unemployment in the airline industry has reached record levels over the past few years. The backlog of new orders for aircraft has shrunk, leading to unemployment in the aircraft manufacturing industry as well. When I visited the Boeing Corporation in Everett, Washington, managers and employees alike described the personal impact of these developments. The issues facing the industry have an international dimension. In recent remarks at the American University here in Washington, I stressed that our Nation is ready to compete in the world economy fairly and squarely. In our bilateral and multilateral aviation negotiations, my Administration will promote fair competition in international trade and airline routes. I asked Secretary of Transportation Pena to join with the Congress to develop a process for addressing the industry's problems, and I am pleased by this strong bipartisan result.…”