Larry Bucshon: “I'm here to comment on the administration playing politics in an attempt to maximize the impact of his sequester on the…”

“I'm here to comment on the administration playing politics in an attempt to maximize the impact of his sequester on the American people and, in this case, the aviation system and the traveling public. The FAA's operating budget has grown by nearly 110 percent, more than double in the last 17 years, as domestic flights are down 27 percent. The FAA's share of the sequester represents $600 million of their $16 billion annual budget, about 5 percent. Does anyone out there believe a Federal Government bureaucracy can't find this level of savings without affecting the American people? Well, I don't. Rather than furloughing air traffic controllers to make a political point, the FAA should cut wasteful and unnecessary spending. Mr. Speaker, these cuts should not significantly impact the aviation system, but the administration is failing to show leadership and is trying to score political points. ____________________”