Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BEYER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment falsely advertised as a compromise.

Nobody asked our regional delegation about this, and we are united against adding more air traffic in DCA. DCA is way over capacity. It is the busiest runway in America and one of the shortest. There were 25 million people served last year in an airport designed for 14 million.

Mr. Chair, 20 percent of the flights are already more than an hour late, and this will only make it worse. This is a congested, complex airspace--think Capitol, White House, and Pentagon. It is the third highest in aborted takeoffs and landings. These safety concerns will only be magnified.

It is not true that this amendment will lower ticket prices. The last time that the perimeter-plus slots were added, prices went up at both Dulles and DCA. If you use Reagan National now, count on spending many more hours lost on the tarmac or at the gate.

Mr. Chair, why would you ever vote to make your commute worse? I urge my friends to vote ``no'' on the amendment.

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