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LaHood: 'Congress needs to stop playing games' on FAA bill
With both parties threatening a shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday if an agreement cannot be reached on a short-term funding measure for the agency, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said they lawmakers should save their disagreements for another day.
“Congress needs to stop playing games, work out its differences, and pass a clean FAA bill immediately. There is no excuse for not getting this done,” LaHood said in a statement released by the Department of Transportation. “Important programs and construction projects are at stake. This stalemate must be resolved.”
The current funding measure for the FAA expires Friday. The House passed a short-term extension Wednesday, but it included changes to the Essential Air Service program that provides grants to airlines for flying to rural airports that have not been included in previous short-term bills.
That means the FAA, which has been operating without a long-term authorization bill since 2007, is faced with the possibility of not getting its 21st short-term appropriations bill.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said Wednesday that if that happens, the agency would be forced to furlough workers.
“These employees do everything from getting money out the door for airport construction projects, to airport safety planning and NextGen research," Babbitt said in a statement. "We need them at work.”
The FAA has about 4,000 employees the agency said would be furloughed beginning Saturday if a deal is not reached.
With such a possible shutdown in mind, LaHood moved to assure travelers that the fractious debates about FAA funding in Washington Wednesday would not affect their trips.
“I want to reassure the flying public that, during this period, safety will not be compromised,” he said.
