House Transportation Committee Chair Is Involved With Association VP

The chair of the House Transportation Committee was recently seen in Miami with Nick Calio, the head of Airlines for America (A4A), which has led some to speculate about the chairman's relationship with the airline industry.

Shuster is romantically involved with Shelly Rubino, a vice president with the advocacy group.

Politico reports that Shuster, Rubino, and Calio were recently seen together in Miami at a fundraising event for Rep. Mario Diaz-Beart (R-FL), which has raised questions in some circles about the relationship between the committee chairman and the airline industry.

Some in Congress think that the Airlines have been given preferential treatment in the AIRR act recently passed by the committee. The airlines may have a great deal of influence over the restructuring of Air Traffic Control the way the bill is currently written. Alaska Republican Congressman Don Young said during a hearing on the bill that the country basically has four airlines now, "and if they’re going to run this FAA, I don’t think the consumer is going to get the right representation on that board.”

Calio countered that in his view, two spots on the 11-member non-profit board to oversee ATC was more than adequate. "To many people, two general aviation [spots] seems like an awful lot, given the use of the airspace and who pays what for the airspace. … Frankly, we thought we should’ve had more seats.”

A4A said in a statement that there is nothing inappropriate about Calio and Shuster being at the same event in Florida. The two have "known each other for decades," the association said. “Mr. Calio frequently attends Republican [and Democratic] fundraising trips, and it is not unusual that they would be at the same work-related political event,” said A4A spokeswoman Jean Medina in a statement. “Chairman Shuster has been a leader on driving change as part of the FAA reauthorization process, for the good of the economy and the traveling and shipping public, not for any one entity, and to suggest otherwise is highly inappropriate.”

(Images from file)

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