Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this morning the FAA grounded planes at LaGuardia Airport, averaging more than 1,000 flights a day. They made this decision because of a shortage in air traffic control staff, who are not being paid because the President fulfilled his promise to shut down the government 35 days ago. The FAA's website crashed as people looked for information. Stocks for airlines took a hit, and air traffic in other airports, including Philadelphia and Newark, were delayed because of staffing shortages. We will continue to see the ripple effects of this today. It is not like if travel in and out of LaGuardia is disrupted, it will be business as usual at other airports. More flights will be delayed. LaGuardia has resumed operations, but what is clear is that the ATC, or the air traffic control staff, is thin, and they are making game-time decisions--go, no go. Apparently, we need another reminder that this shutdown is stupid and dangerous, that it leaves communities and commerce on the edge, because the voices of those affected already--Native Americans, Coast Guard servicemembers, FBI agents, IRS employees, National Park Service workers, and domestic violence victims--weren't enough. The FAA is unique because they have an obligation and the authority under the law to make a go-no-go decision based on safety. They can look at their staffing numbers and say: We can't do this safely, so stop. But the FBI and the Coast Guard don't get to say: Hey, hold off, everybody.…”