Nick Lampson: “I support this assistance bill because I believe it is necessary to maintain our transportation and aviation…”

“I support this assistance bill because I believe it is necessary to maintain our transportation and aviation infrastructure. Passing this legislation does not absolve Congress from moving forward with air travel safety and dislocated worker assistance. We must do both as soon as possible. This financial emergency assistance package will ensure the survival of a vital engine to our economy, the airline industry. We cannot afford to wait. By getting the aviation industry back on track, we will have a downstream effect that will provide a boost to all of the related industries that have been hit hard by this tragedy: the car rental agencies, travel agents, tourism, restaurants, theme parks, cruise lines and the list goes on and on and it even multiplies. By no means does passing this bill today end our work. This is only the first step. We must also address safety and displaced-worker protections immediately. It is essential that we address safety. We need to restore confidence in the flying public.”