AviationWhite House to take a second look at FAA furloughs
The White House hinted Wednesday that it could accept legislation which would end Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) furloughs. Passengers have been in arms over lengthening flight delays and a growing number of flight cancellations, while GOP lawmakers accused the FAA of implementing the sequester-mandated budget cut in such a way so as to cause maximum inconvenience to passengers.
Air traffic control tower at Kennedy International Airport // Source: commons.wikimedia.org
The White House hinted Wednesday that it could accept legislation which would end Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) furloughs. Passengers have been in arms over lengthening flight delays and a growing number of flight cancellations, while GOP lawmakers accused the FAA of implementing the sequester-mandated budget cut in such a way so as to cause maximum inconvenience to passengers. CBS News reports that the contemplated would ease the impact of the cuts on the FAA by loosening restrictions on agency spending.
On Wednesday, the senior members of the Senate Commerce Committee met with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA administrator Michael Huerta to discuss possible ways to end flight delays.
Lawmakers also used the meeting to complain that Huerta did not forewarn them about the severity of the delays.
“You didn’t forewarn us this was coming. You didn’t advise us how to handle it. This imperial attitude on the part of this administration - you are the latest example of it - is disgusting,” Representative Hal Rogers (R-Kentucky), said during the meeting.
Huerta responded saying that he testified about the delays at a hearing earlier in the year, and LaHood warned lawmakers during a news conference in February that the furloughs would lead to significant flight delays.
“It’s fair to say the thing that captured the media’s attention was the threatened closure of small towers,” Huerta added. “The furlough problem didn’t sink in with Congress and the public until recently.”
According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and FFA data, in the three days since the furloughs began on Sunday, there have 5,800 flight delays, although some were due to inclement weather.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that if Congress“wants to address specifically the problems caused by the sequester with the FAA, we would be open to looking at that.
“But that would be a Band-Aid measure,” Carney added. “And it would not deal with the many other negative effects of the sequester, the kids kicked off of Head Start, the seniors who aren’t getting Meals on Wheels, and the up to three-quarter of a million of Americans who will lose their jobs or will not have jobs created for them.”
Aviation experts say FAA furloughs will save just over $200 million through the end of September. “I think it’s better to do a big deal, but as we work toward that big deal we have to admit that there are some things that are very problematic,” Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), who helped write legislation to give the FAA more financial flexibility, told reporters.
Top Democrats have said that it is unlikely that any FAA bill would be expanded to offset the impact of cuts on other programs which are supported by more Democrats than Republicans.
