Steven Holt: “I rise in support of the Oberstar bipartisan substitute. Mr. Chairman, earlier this year I voted against the airline…”

“I rise in support of the Oberstar bipartisan substitute. Mr. Chairman, earlier this year I voted against the airline bailout bill. I voted against it not because I didn't think that we needed to take steps to insure the viability of our airline industry, but because that flawed piece of legislation didn't address the most important concern of all for the airlines--safety. If we want to revitalize the airline industry we have to get people back on the planes. We cannot do this unless we reassure them about the security of the airlines. It is clear that people do not feel safe flying. Just today, we received information that Delta Airlines has lost $295 million and United has lost $1.16 billion. If we really want to help out the airline industry, we have to make sure these losses don't continue. Yet here we are more than 50 days after the events of September 11 and we have just started to discuss the very real concern of aviation security here in the House of Representatives. To both prevent future attacks, and to restore the public's confidence in flying we must take steps to improve the way security is undertaken at our airports and in our airplanes. We cannot just make suggestions and hope that the same security companies that have committed gross violations of current law do a better job in the future. This is a very real problem and it demands a real solution.”