Sam Graves

I think in the private sector, they call that embezzling, and here we call it budgeting.

Full utilization should be supported across the board, as it benefits everyone.

I do fully support the full dedication of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

Shouldn't we be reducing Federal spending and letting people keep more of their money?

We need to ensure that pilot training programs reflect flight critical automation systems.

I just need to point out that, according to Customs and Border Protection, there were more illegal drugs that were captured in between those ports of entry than there were at the ports of entry. In 2012, there were 11 million pounds of…

The President made it very clear that the wall is critical to address both national security and the humanitarian crisis. DOD issued a fact sheet of the universe of projects that have not been awarded, and they totaled more than what is…

thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony to a hearing that is specifically designed to drive an agenda favorable to raising taxes unnecessarily on American families and the traveling public.

However, more passengers than ever will travel through our airports this year, and demand is expected to grow.

Airports must be empowered to make our own decisions.

But I am skeptical of any proposal that adds to the traveling public's burden, fails to fully consider the views of local communities and passengers, and lacks a full range of financing options, including private capital.

It is important to keep in mind three key points on airport investment.

I remain committed to ensuring we continue this success, but I am worried about how quickly we can execute key projects.

We have to make sure that we're talking about infrastructure needs, not infrastructure wants.

We have to make sure that private capital is a part of the solution.

The U.S. Travel Association and its membership look forward to working with you to ensure that PFC rates are based on financial need.

I am surely not opposed to increasing the FAA's Federal AIP grant levels.

I again want to thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves for the Committee's time and attention to this issue today.

I question the validity of that assertion.

We have to understand what the actual infrastructure needs of airports are.

The cap has not been raised in almost 20 years.

The U.S. Travel Association and its membership would oppose such taxes or fees.

The wealthy, the 1%ers, and those traveling on expense accounts will likely not notice an $8.50 PFC.

This represents a substantial increase and a significant impediment to travel.

Tens of billions of dollars over the past few years have been poured into our airports.