Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today in support of my amendment, which would modify the Airport Improvement Program to require the FAA to explicitly consider the emergency preparedness needs of the communities served when reviewing an airport's master plan. Currently, the FAA relies primarily on a number of enplanements when making their funding determinations under the AIP. That disadvantages rural airports like William R. Fairchild International Airport in my district, which serves as a critical component of the State's and FEMA's emergency response plan for the region, but has relatively few enplanements. This commonsense improvement would help ensure that Fairchild and other airports like it will be able to secure the funding necessary to maintain their runway and other critical infrastructure so that the resources are available when disaster strikes. This matters to folks in my neck of the woods who live in the shadow of the Cascadia subduction zone. When the big one hits, the Fairchild Airport will be essential to deploying emergency supplies, as well as for evacuating people to safety. I would like to thank Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for their support of this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on it. Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.”