Congress needs to solve budget problems
C-SPAN broadcast the congressional committee interview of Michael Huerta, FAA administrator, on April 24. The attack question of the Republican chairman was: “Why did you not earlier and better-inform Congress of the disruptive impact of sequester on U.S. air traffic?”
By Feb. 12, 2013, the impact of the $637 million sequester reduced the FAA budget for 2013 and was outlined in FAA meetings with aviation and shipping companies, contract towers, military transport needs, etc.
I understood the impact by reading newspaper reports and watching TV news. Mr. Huerta did a superb job of detailing the exact information and reasoning behind FAA’s response. Seventy percent of operational budget is payrolls. Furlows of one day per pay period were required, and 149 contract towers were closed. Training, travel and contracts have been delayed.
Did Republicans not understand the bite they chose to pass instead of compromise and creating an approved U.S. budget? Do Tennessee Republican senators not understand that 90 percent of U.S. citizens desire universal background checks on all gun sales?
Shame on Congress for taking its sixth-week district vacation from Washington instead of solving the budget problems in committee compromises.