Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part II

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1893, the Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part II. This bill is a clean extension of the Federal Aviation Administration's authority to spend from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and to carry out airport improvement projects at current levels through June 30, 2011.

In February, the Senate approved a bipartisan comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill by a wide 87-8 vote margin. Passage of the Senate bill was applauded by both labor and industry stakeholders, and it was estimated that the bill would create at least 150,000 jobs.

By contrast, last month the House approved a controversial FAA reauthorization bill, H.R. 658, by a party-line vote by the narrowest vote margin in almost 30 years. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation, and the House bill has been criticized by the FAA, the National Transportation and Safety Board, Captain Sully Sullenberger, the families of Colgan Air Flight 3407 who lost loved ones in Buffalo, New York, and in the press because it would undermine aviation safety efforts.

For several weeks we have worked with the Senate to resolve a number of differences between the two bills. However, the most controversial aspects of the House FAA reauthorization bill--the arbitrary $4 billion funding cuts that will have a negative impact on aviation safety and our economy, and a provision that repeals a Federal rule on fair labor elections and mounts an assault on collective bargaining rights--have not been resolved or dropped from the bill.

So despite assurances from our friends on the Republican side of the aisle that we would not have another FAA extension, Congress must now enact the 19th short-term extension. If the House Republicans continue to insist on these controversial poison pill provisions, the enactment of a long-term bill this year is in serious jeopardy, and we will be back here on the floor for more extensions in the future.

We all agree that the FAA desperately needs the stability and direction that a long-term reauthorization would provide. Further, the American public deserves a long-term FAA reauthorization bill that will create jobs, improve safety, and modernize our infrastructure. But the House FAA reauthorization bill would not accomplish any of these objectives.

I will again say, as I have said many times before, I will work with my colleagues across the aisle to produce a fair bill that can not only pass the House but also pass the Senate and be signed into law by the President. Let us strip the partisan poison pills from this bill and enact a long-term, bipartisan FAA bill that will create jobs and keep our economy moving throughout the 21st century, and make this our last extension.

For the present time, however, this extension is necessary, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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