Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. D'ESPOSITO. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization plan that is currently being advanced through this House.

This sweeping package, outlined in H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, will ensure the FAA has the tools necessary to safeguard air travel throughout the United States and support our Nation's extensive air-based logistics networks.

As a New Yorker, I understand the importance of the FAA to our State's vast network of airports and how intertwined our economic success is to the free flow of goods via air travel. That is why, as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I have been working tirelessly to ensure my Long Island neighbors saw palpable benefits in the FAA reauthorization package and that the plan protected local jobs on Long Island.

Chief among my priorities that is included in the present plan is preserving scores of air traffic controller jobs at the FAA's N90 TRACON facility located within my congressional district. I am proud that these good-paying, union jobs will be preserved on Long Island and will not be moved to other States, as was previously planned.

Not only are we preserving jobs, but this bipartisan plan includes provisions I have been advocating for that support the aviation workforce. This legislation includes important language from the Aviation Workforce Development Act, of which I am a cosponsor, as well as a provision for air traffic controller mandatory staffing targets. Providing the tools and manpower to our air traffic controllers to help them do their jobs will prevent flight delays and enhance the reliability of air travel within the United States.

This bill also includes noise abatement strategies for communities near airports, a request of mine and the constituents who I represent.

The team that has been working on this crucial legislation has made security of air travel a priority and included several provisions under that front. Two that I have personally been advocating for include ``Zero tolerance for near misses, runway incursions, and surface safety risks,'' as well as provisions that support the implementation of secondary cockpit barriers to protect pilots.

Mr. Chair, the list goes on. I am proud that included in this package is the language from a bill I introduced to promote domestic drone production here in the United States. This is a key legislative priority of mine that will create American manufacturing jobs and decouple the drone industry from our adversaries like China.

In addition to all of these great inclusions in the bill is a sweeping set of proposals intended to support the passenger experience, improve airport infrastructure across the country, and address environmental concerns, including implementing noise abatement strategies for communities near airports.

The FAA reauthorization plan is a win for the United States of America, a win for Americans, a win for New Yorkers, and a win for those who call Long Island home. It is also a win for those who rely on air travel throughout this country.

Mr. Chair, I am proud of this plan, and I urge all of my colleagues to unite behind it.

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