Republicans And Democrats Say The Measure Is A Solid Compromise

The committee leaders responsible for the long-term FAA funding measure passed Monday by the full Congress have been universal in their support for the compromise conference report which is headed to President Obama for his signature. It's a sharp contrast to the finger-pointing and accusations that flew last summer when the FAA was forced to partially shut down.

Senators Rockefeller (L) and Hutchison (R)

“This bill is a huge win for America’s economy, for passenger safety, and for the aviation industry,” Senate Commerce Committee Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said in a statement. “From the start, our goal was preserving the safest, most efficient, and modern aviation system in the world.  And we know a healthy and growing aviation industry is fundamentally important for the economic future of our country. I’m proud that Congress has passed comprehensive, bipartisan legislation that will support jobs and consumers.”

In remarks on the Senate floor, the Commerce Committee's Ranking Republican, Kay Bailey Hutchison, acknowledged that the bill was difficult to pass, but was worth the work. "What is good about the bill that is before us today is the major principals have been addressed, and the people who were most affected by those have been able to see the big picture that we needed to address in this bill," she said. "The bill will give our airports the ability to grow, expand, and repair with the aviation trust fund, and it will be in a stable environment because we have four years after this bill is passed. So I do want to thank the Chairman and all who have worked on this bill.”

On the House side of the Capitol, Transportation Committee Chair John Mica said in a statement that one of the major sticking points was Essential Air Service ticket subsidies which he calculated at as much as $3,720 per ticket.

“Cutting outrageous ticket subsidies helped bring negotiators to the table to finally complete this long-term FAA bill,” Mica said. The House-Senate agreement includes further reforms to the small community airline ticket subsidy program by prohibiting new communities from joining, further eliminating subsidies to airports that have fewer than 10 passengers each day that are within 175 miles of a large or medium hub, and reducing federal taxpayer funding for the program.
 
“For nearly five years, federal policy for this industry that accounts for as much as 11% of the nation’s economic activity was left behind,” Mica said. “This legislation sets the blueprint for modernizing our air traffic control system from pre-WWII technology to the GPS-based NextGen system. This will reduce air traffic delays, cut down on emissions and pollution, and lower costs for consumers."

FMI: Read The Conference Report