U.S. Senator Blunt (Mo.) expressed his deep concerns today after the Obama Administration announced that it will close contract air traffic control towers in Branson and Columbia, Mo. as a result of sequestration cuts.
"These towers were operational in 2009 when the FAA received less funding than they will under the sequestration -- further proving these closures are irresponsible and unnecessary," said Blunt. "Federal spending has skyrocketed 19 percent since 2008. There's no reason the Obama Administration shouldn't be able to figure out a 2.5 percent spending cut without interrupting Americans' lives and air travel to communities like Branson and Columbia."
Blunt spoke on the floor this week in support of an amendment that he co-sponsored, which was filed by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Kan.), in order to stop the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from targeting air traffic control towers with irresponsible sequestration cuts.
A report published last summer by the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General found that the Contract Tower Program was one of the most efficiently run programs in the FAA. Notably, the report also showed the specified towers in the FAA Contract Tower Program were all operational in 2009, when the FAA received less funding than they will under sequestration.