Johnny Isakson: “I rise for a moment to echo, first of all, the words of the distinguished Senator from Kansas. He was right on target in…”

“I rise for a moment to echo, first of all, the words of the distinguished Senator from Kansas. He was right on target in every point he made. But I also rise to pay tribute to the chairman, Senator Rockefeller, and ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison, Mr. Ray LaHood, and Chairman Mica in the House, all of whom did an outstanding job bringing this together. I was thinking in the airplane coming up here--it was an appropriate place to think about it; we are all on airplanes quite a lot--I was thinking about the many bills I have been involved in here in my 13, almost 14 years in the Congress of the United States. I don't know if I ever remember a conference committee that was so far apart and so divided that finally came together in the best interests of the American people than this one. I want to pay tribute to Majority Leader Harry Reid, who played an instrumental role in finding common ground and coming to agreement. Speaker Boehner in the House of Representatives did the same. This was a team effort. The National Mediation Board decisions that were made in the final agreements were good and they were fair. As Senator Roberts has said, the treatment of general aviation and commercial aviation is fair and equitable. We now have a 4-year plan for the next generation.…”