Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are facing a deadline tonight. At midnight, the current reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration expires. That expiration will mean that no funds can be collected or paid out of the airport and airway trust fund starting tomorrow, July 23. The trust fund provides the primary source of funding for the Federal Aviation Administration through excise taxes imposed on airline tickets, aviation fuel, and air cargo shipments. We asked the Federal Aviation Administration and the Secretary of Transportation what would happen if the extension is not passed today in the Senate, and he said as follows: There will be a partial shutdown of Federal Aviation Administration operations. Approximately 4,000 nonessential FAA staff will be furloughed. Mr. President, 143 of these employees, incidentally, work in my State, mostly in Chicago. The Airport Improvement Program, which provides construction project grants to airports, will be shut down and unable to obligate grants for projects. Projects already obligated will be able to continue--for example, the O'Hare Airport, Quad City's runways in Illinois--but obligating funds for new projects will be suspended. If the extension continues for a period of time, there may be reimbursement issues with projects that are underway.…”