Ted Cruz: “Senate Republicans are providing the FAA, in this bill, with $12.5 billion to transform the air traffic control…”

“Senate Republicans are providing the FAA, in this bill, with $12.5 billion to transform the air traffic control system--a concept that is incredibly popular with the American people and badly needed. The January 29 midair collision was a tragedy, and it should never have happened. The Senate Commerce Committee is leading the investigation into what went wrong and how to prevent another accident. The introduced text updates the rent calculations for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the entity that runs the two airports owned by the Federal Government. The Federal Government originally calculated the rent in 1987 at $7.5 million, massively below market rates. This bill increases that to $15 million, still dramatically below market rates. By comparison, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is paying over $100 million in rent annually to New York City. On top of that, Dulles is about to start subleasing extremely valuable land, and the Federal taxpayers are not going to see a dime of that money. This amendment is nothing more than an earmark for Northern Virginia, and I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment.”