On the recordDecember 2, 2010
I wish with all my heart we didn't have to be here and that the other body had acted on this measure in the 110th Congress and earlier in this Congress, but that's not the case, unfortunately. Without going into any detail or further reviewing of the inscrutable actions of the other body, I will just say that we are here again, doing our part in public service, carrying out our trust to the people of this country and to the cause of aviation in assuring that we continue the programs of aviation until such time--and hope continues in my heart and that of Mr. Costello, Mr. Petri, Mr. Mica, and, I think, of the whole aviation community--that we will be able to accomplish passage of the full authorization bill. We are headed for a billion passengers in the airspace of the United States. Last year, a billion people traveled by air worldwide. Three-fourths of them traveled in the U.S. airspace. We account for more air travel than all the rest of the world combined. To continue to provide the level of service needed for this engine of economic growth of aviation, which accounts for 9 percent of our gross domestic product, we need to prepare for the future.
