On the recordFebruary 2, 2011
I commend the chairman of the Commerce Committee. He and I have been working on this bill since 2007. As we mentioned when we began consideration of the bill yesterday, this is the 18th short-term extension we are on. I think any person in America, any person who flies in America, any person who is subject to FAA regulation, and certainly any businessperson in America knows you cannot do long-term planning and ensure that your agency is doing its work knowing what they can expect in support from Congress in short-term extensions for over 4 years. That is not good business, it is not good management, and it is certainly not the way government should run. So I am in agreement with Senator Rockefeller, our chairman, that we need to act on this bill. I hope it is going to be an effort that is bipartisan, that we will address the issues that have held up the bill in the past in a reasonable way so we can get on with, hopefully, a 3-year authorization of the FAA, and especially so we can start next year. America is the premier user of air traffic control systems. Our system is based on the 1960s technology of ground operations and use of radar. We want to move to a satellite-based system that will increase the capacity at our clogged airports--the bigger airports that have more traffic than they can accommodate--and where the traveling public is in the most need. We need the efficiency and we need the modern technology.
