On the recordApril 26, 2018
I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership and bipartisanship on this bill. Americans who watched 60 Minutes last weekend or who read the Tampa Bay Times were shocked by serious airline safety concerns--specifically with Allegiant Airlines, a carrier that operates 95 percent of the traffic at my hometown airport. It raises questions about the FAA's ``compliance philosophy,'' focused on fewer enforcement actions, more working quietly with the airlines behind the scenes on safety issues. I sure hope it is true that airlines are more likely to self-report safety incidents if they do not fear retribution, but lives are at stake, and we must get the facts. My amendment would require an investigation into whether this hands-off approach is, in fact, working. Profits can never trump passenger safety. Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support this straightforward amendment.
