Political Quotes

“I commend Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larson for their hard work to bring this bipartisan FAA Reauthorization bill to the House floor. I am very pleased that this bill includes some of my top priorities: First, this bill advances implementation of my 2018 provisions requiring Secondary Cockpit Barriers in Section 350 of the bill. This language will be made even stronger to speed up the process and finally get these safety devices on all passenger aircraft to protect flight crews and passengers. Second, I support the bill's provisions improving minority and disadvantaged business participation in all FAA programs. This will expand business opportunities for minority businesses and bring in fresh talent to carry out new projects authorized in this bill. I also strongly support the investments in airport infrastructure, plus investments to strengthen the aviation workforce and make it more diverse. Unfortunately, I'm very disappointed that the Senate struck my bipartisan provisions to create a new National Center for the Advancement of Aviation which was approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the full House. I will continue working to create this center, which will improve our aviation workforce and promote best practices across all sectors, including commercial, military, and general aviation. But overall, this is a good bill and I urge my colleagues to support this reauthorization. {time} 1730 The SPEAKER pro tempore.…”