Chuck Grassley: “Transportation is an important part of the American economy. It is vital to all rural and urban communities that people…”

“Transportation is an important part of the American economy. It is vital to all rural and urban communities that people are able to travel in a timely, safe, and cost efficient manner. Whether it is the businesswoman traveling to meet her clients or visit her company's plants, the tourist who wants to experience the beauty and uniqueness of our country, or the grandparents visiting their grandchildren; efficient, affordable, and safe travel is imperative. For several years we have been working on reauthorizing the aviation bill. While this process has not always been easy, I am pleased that we reached a bipartisan agreement and have a good bill before the Senate. All of us have a vested interest in ensuring a stable, dependable, and predictable revenue flow to the airport and airways trust fund. Aviation has changed since the last time Congress considered aviation legislation. This bill reshapes our system to better reflect today's realities. It provides more funding to further modernize our air traffic control systems, airports, and facilities. It also provides for more efficient and safe travel to reduce delays and ease congestion in our skies. While the United States has one of the best records for aviation safety, we need to continue to do better. We are back to the level of air traffic that we saw before 9/11 and we will likely see this number grow tremendously.”