Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. I respect the intent of the author of this amendment, Mr. McClintock, who I respect very much. I agree with his desire to cut wasteful government programs, but we have a fundamental disagreement on the value of this program. Speaking for my community, and I do represent Lancaster Airport, this service allows my constituents to connect with Pittsburgh and other major airports where they can link with routes to take them across the country. Every dollar invested into the program yields a great return. Lancaster Airport is the third busiest airport in Pennsylvania, behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This is an important link to keep it a strong commercial hub and to service our community. EAS also serves 172 airports across the country. If this amendment gets adopted, many of those communities would lose their airports. Losing EAS eligibility would not only disconnect communities in rural areas from the national air service, but it would also have a ripple economic effect. Again, I commend the author of this, and I commend the chairman for the changes that have been made to this program. It is important that we keep it. {time} 1545”