On the recordFebruary 7, 2011
I rise to speak today on the legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. Our Nation's economy is recovering from the worst economic recession in decades. Critical to getting our economy moving forward and getting Americans back to work is building an efficient and modern intermodal transportation system built to handle growing commerce in the 21st century. I am pleased to see that this legislation, which is estimated to create 280,000 jobs in airports around the country, is one of the first orders of business for the Senate in the 112th Congress. It demonstrates this body's focus on job creation and helping get Americans back to work while updating the Nation's aviation infrastructure to ensure that America is ready for business. The airline industry accounts for nearly 11 million U.S. jobs and $1.2 trillion in annual economic activity. This bill provides the airline industry the essential infrastructure it needs to succeed and remain strong and competitive in the global airline industry.
