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Congresswoman Maxine Waters' Statement on Ending FAA Furloughs

April 26, 2013

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement today on the House passage of the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013 to end employee furloughs by the Federal Aviation Agency:

"I have been extremely concerned about flight delays and the safety of travelers at our nation's airports due to employee furloughs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The furloughs were a result of sequestration, the automatic across-the-board spending cuts that took effect on March 1st. I introduced a bill today that would prevent the furloughs of air traffic controllers that have caused widespread flight delays this week. My bill, the Safe and Reliable Air Travel Act of 2013 (H.R. 1766) would exempt the operation of our nation's air traffic control system from sequestration.

"Meanwhile, the Senate unanimously passed emergency legislation yesterday, the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013 that would also end the flight delays at airports across the country. The House immediately voted on this bill today, which I supported, and it passed by a vote of 361 to 41. While my legislation would end furloughs of an estimated 13,000 air-traffic controllers, the measure passed by the House today is emergency legislation that will rapidly address FAA's funding shortage.

"The impact of sequestration is real. It was felt this week by the thousands of travelers who utilize our airways and has already taken a toll on families, businesses, and communities across the country. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located in my Congressional District. LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and the third busiest airport in the United States. These furloughs have been problematic for LAX and other airports across the country.

" While this bill was good news, this is no substitute for action to replace the sequester that would not only protect our nation's air traffic control system, but protect many other agencies and programs that are critical to the American people. I am actively working with my colleagues in Congress to find a long term solution to sequestration. It is time to do the right thing for the American people and lift the sequester."

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