Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: “Mr. Speaker, safety is the issue and it is the only issue, and as has been indicated by the gentleman from Oregon…”

“Mr. Speaker, safety is the issue and it is the only issue, and as has been indicated by the gentleman from Oregon, identifying the low bid is not. The administration's executive order stating that air traffic control is not an inherently governmental function is totally misguided and it is another slap in the face at our hard-working, dedicated Federal employees, and it places in jeopardy the safety of the American traveling public. The President's senior staff has stated the administration has been considering privatizing the operation of the Nation's air traffic control system. That would be a huge, costly, and dangerous mistake. If ensuring the safety of our Nation's skies is not inherently governmental, then I would like to know what is. Currently, public employees make sure our streets are safe, they make sure our coastline is secure, our borders are protected, so why does the administration believe that public employees should not ensure the safety of our skies? As has been indicated by the gentleman from Oregon, the events of September 11 proved how important it was to have experienced staff in our control towers. They brought down 5,000 planes in less than 2 hours without any problem. Our Nation's controllers were able to do this because they are highly trained professionals whose only mission is safety. We do not need to turn this job over and the safety of our friends over to the lowest bidder.”