Luján Statement on Announcement that Santa Fe Airport Tower Will Not Be Closed this Fiscal Year

Statement

Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico's Third District released the following statement today after Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the Federal Aviation Administration will keep 149 towers, including the Santa Fe airport tower, originally scheduled for closure, open for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year.

"The announcement by the Department of Transportation that the Santa Fe airport tower will remain open is welcome news for the community, but it is still disappointing that Congressional Republicans have stood in the way of a comprehensive plan to deal with the full impact of the sequester.

"New Mexico and the nation need more than a piecemeal approach that addresses only individual aspects of the sequester. While significant flight delays and airport tower closures have been addressed, seniors who rely on Meals on Wheels and young children enrolled in Head Start programs are still at risk of feeling the painful effects of the sequester's arbitrary cuts.

"I have opposed the sequester at every step of the way and I will continue to advocate for a comprehensive plan that addresses cuts to environmental cleanup at the national labs, services to the most vulnerable, and the rest of the negative impacts of the sequester."

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