Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment which would slash funding authorization levels for the Airport Improvement Program, the AIP, FAA operations and maintenance, and research and development efforts. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee overwhelmingly agreed that AIP funding must be increased to $4 billion annually in order to fund critical programs across the FAA and invest in our aviation industry. This amendment would slash that funding level and impede the full funding of grants and projects to address the pressing infrastructure needs of airports across the country. It would also significantly decrease FAA operations and maintenance funding, which jeopardizes the effectiveness of the agency amidst growing demands placed upon the aviation industry. Finally, this amendment cuts agreed-upon funding for the FAA's research and development activities on aircraft safety, on environmental impact mitigation, on airport infrastructure, and on human factors and new airspace entrants, among other important issues. Cutting this critical funding would undermine U.S. aerospace innovation and our relationship in the global sector. Moreover, it would put public safety at risk. For those reasons, I oppose the amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”