Darrell Issa: “I have but 5 minutes to ensure that this goes by voice, so I will do my best. Mr. Chairman, no one here doubts 100…”

“I have but 5 minutes to ensure that this goes by voice, so I will do my best. Mr. Chairman, no one here doubts 100 percent of the time the responsible party from just above the ground to over 60,000 feet belongs to the FAA. Any decision about whether an aircraft can operate or cannot operate belongs exclusively to the FAA. For that reason, the FAA is an independent body that has a responsibility to take seriously the implementation of NOTAMs. These NOTAMs either caution pilots or prevent pilots from flying. Recently, there have been a number of requests where the FAA has acted not on behalf of its own judgment but on behalf of a request by another agency. These agencies include CBP, the Department of Justice, FBI, FTC, and many others. These come in regularly, and I have no objection. There are plenty of good reasons that an entity--we were just talking about a little while ago the Park Service might even have a request. Because the FAA has an obligation to make airspace available wherever possible and at the lowest level of regulation and the greatest freedom and safety for the pilots, and it does have the obligation--when, for safety and other reasons, there needs to be temporary or permanent prohibitions on flying--to implement them.…”