Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen for putting this extension on the floor to give us more time to work towards a final FAA reauthorization. Aviation is a $32 billion industry in my home State of Arizona, and growing every day. Our airports are economic engines supporting thousands of jobs. A lapse in the FAA's authorization would be devastating, and today's short-term extension is necessary. But a long-term, 5-year extension--one that updates Federal policies to meet our current challenges--is essential to ensure the U.S. remains the gold standard in aviation safety. The House did our job--more than 6 months ago. On the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we worked in a bipartisan way to craft a strong, forward-looking FAA reauthorization that improves aircraft and runway safety and invests in our aviation infrastructure and workforce--especially our air traffic controllers. Over the last year, there have been several near-miss incidents at Sky Harbor in Phoenix--one of the busiest airports in the world. I met with air traffic controllers there last week. They're over-worked and understaffed. And Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, one of the fastest-growing commercial airports in the country, just opened a brand-new $28 million terminal to keep up with passenger demand. But staffing shortages at their air traffic control tower have forced the airport to reduce operations at the tower by four hours each day.…”