Pete Stark: “I had hoped that the bipartisan, level-headed leadership that charted our legislative agenda last week would continue to…”

“I had hoped that the bipartisan, level-headed leadership that charted our legislative agenda last week would continue to prevail this week. The commercial airline industry is asking American taxpayers for a $20 billion bailout. I don't want to see the airline industry dissolve, and I don't want to see thousands of hard-working Americans lose their jobs. But the bill before us today provides a bailout for corporations and their highly compensated executive officers that would have faced insolvency despite the current crisis. Furthermore, the bill does very little for the thousands of employees who are about to lose their jobs over this crisis. It is unconscionable to provide a bailout for the airline industry without simultaneously addressing the more pressing needs of U.S. airline workers. The package does not include health insurance benefits or job retraining assistance for workers who have been laid off as a result of the loss. With this bill, Congress writes a fat check to the airline industry without any protections for airline workers.”