Bud Shuster: “Congress has just approved an FAA extension to fund the agency for 6 months, but our work is not done. We have a…”

“Congress has just approved an FAA extension to fund the agency for 6 months, but our work is not done. We have a responsibility to pass a long-term FAA bill that ensures America remains a leader in aviation. The status quo means American aviation manufacturing will lose out to competitors in Europe, China, Brazil, and Canada. We will lose jobs. It means the drone industry will continue to go overseas for testing and development. That is more lost jobs. The status quo means more delays and lost time for our passengers. Let me read you a quote: ``The FAA is the only agency of government worse at procurement than the Pentagon. Congress has tried to reform it; it didn't stick. We have got to try something different to get it to be more agile to give us 21st century equipment and software that we need.'' Mr. Speaker, that is not my quote. I am quoting the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. And that, based on what he has said and what we have seen over the last 20 years, that is why it is time to reform the FAA. With my Republican and Democratic colleagues, I have introduced H.R. 2997, the 21st Century AIRR Act. Like all major reforms, there have been false claims made against this bipartisan bill. The false issues I want to address are from general aviation. My colleagues and I, including Sam Graves, worked with the general aviation community to include everything they have asked for in this bill.…”