Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019
Floor Speech
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Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support this appropriations bill, which would fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
Air travel is fast becoming one of the most disturbing points of contention in this shutdown fracas.
The world's largest pilots' union recently warned in a letter to the Trump administration that air safety could be threatened by the shutdown.
About 10,000 FAA air traffic controllers have been deemed essential and asked to perform a vital public safety function without pay.
These men and women are dedicated, hardworking professionals. But this situation is unfair and untenable.
Soon, many of these vital air safety workers will begin to face financial hardship. We cannot reasonably expect them to work without pay.
On top of this, the FAA has fewer safety inspectors on the job than are needed to ensure that our air traffic control system is operating maximally.
On the ground, state transportation projects are being halted because the federal government often pays up to 90 percent of road projects.
With the Department of Transportation shuttered, road projects nationwide are stalling as federal payments to states are delayed.
Americans who rely on the Department of Housing and Urban Development may face hardship, too. Due to the shutdown, HUD has stopped conducting inspections at assisted housing units.
Residents of these housing units depend on these inspections to ensure proper upkeep of their homes. They are important for ensuring the maintenance of sanitation and safety.
Even more alarming, more than 1,000 contracts for government-funded housing properties for low-income renters have expired because HUD is shut down.
Because funding has lapsed, thousands of low-income renters may face eviction.
I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill, because the integrity of our airspace and transportation systems depend on it. And so do thousands of Americans who depend on HUD for housing.
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