Political Quotes

“I want to talk about a subject that is near and dear to the Presiding Officer's heart, as well as to this Senator, because we both have had the privilege of serving on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Congress finds itself facing a year of deadlines, and the two most talked about are the debt ceiling and continued funding for the government. But if that were not enough, a very important deadline is looming that affects the safety of the traveling public. By the end of September, Congress must reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration or risk the shutdown of the agency's core safety mission. This Senator has the privilege of being the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and I have the privilege of working with the chairman, Senator Thune, on a comprehensive and long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Unfortunately, what prevented the long-term bill from passing Congress last year is threatening to do the same again this year. This morning, the White House formally announced its intention to privatize the air traffic control function of the FAA, a move the White House claims will be self-sustaining. This so-called plan for ATC privatization includes an entity that would be run in large part by-- you guessed it--the major airlines, and that entity would receive, free of charge, government-owned FAA assets, and that entity would collect user fees to finance its operations.…”