On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I came to the floor to briefly voice my very strong support for this FAA reauthorization bill and to thank my chairman, Jay Rockefeller, for his leadership. Many people have said this, but it is worth repeating. This is a jobs bill. The FAA reauthorization act is going to modernize our air transport system. As many have said far more eloquently than I could ever say, we are looking at a system that has its roots in the 1940s and the 1950s, and we need to move beyond this and get a 21st century system. That is what NextGen is going to do--give us a much better way to handle all of those flights, all of that congestion. It is going to be, in addition to a jobs bill--280,000 jobs nationwide--it is also going to be a bill that focuses on safety. The growth that will be spurred on by this bill is crucial, because this industry also accounts for nearly 11 million jobs and more than 5 percent of U.S. GDP.
