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Floor Speech

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Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the bipartisan, bicameral agreement reached for a long-term Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. You would know, as a member of our committee, that we have worked hard to bring the FAA aviation community together to make certain that we do not end up with a result of one more extension after extension after extension, and that we can provide some certainty for the FAA in fulfilling its mission.

When I became the ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee, I stated the importance of passing a long-term reauthorization and pledged to work with Senators Duckworth, Cruz, and Cantwell, as well as my other colleagues on the Commerce Committee, to get a comprehensive agreement completed.

I want to thank the leaders of both the Senate Commerce Committee-- Senators Cantwell and Cruz--and the House Transportation Committee-- Congressman Graves and Congressman Larsen--for their months of work to get us to this point. I also want to thank my counterpart on the Aviation Subcommittee, the chairman of that subcommittee, Senator Duckworth of Illinois. She has been a pleasure to work with, with a commitment to aviation and experience to back up that desire to see success in this effort.

Multiyear reauthorization is vital for long-term planning and growth in the civil aviation industry, including the maintenance and modernization of aviation infrastructure and technology. Continuous short-term extensions are detrimental to the Agency, industry, and to the flying public.

This week and next week, Congress must come together to ensure our current extension of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is until May 10, will be our last--no more extensions.

Last October, the Senate recognized how critical the FAA is to the country and evidenced that recognition by voting 98 to 0 to confirm Mike Whitaker as the FAA Administrator.

If the United States is to remain a leader in the aviation and aerospace domain, it is critical we provide the FAA with the resources and tools they require.

The aviation sector has seen close calls and near misses plague our Nation's air space, in addition to quality control concerns. Recent incidents indicate now--now more than ever--that our aviation system needs certainty and stability, and that is provided, in part, by a long-term authorization of Congress.

The original Senate legislation was drafted after eight committee and subcommittee hearings, and I am pleased that many of my priorities were included in this legislation.

Kansas will have an important role to play in advancing our aviation industry, including research and development and hypersonic flight and testing, as well as AAM and UAVs.

This legislation also includes my priorities to, one, bolster the aviation workforce, improve the FAA backlog, promote women in aviation, expand travel access for people with disabilities, attract air service to small communities, support staffing and training for air traffic controllers for the first time in decades, address new aircraft entering the air space, expand advanced air mobility, and safeguard essential air service programs.

I encourage my colleagues to, once again, find a collaborative way to move forward to address FAA reauthorization.

We manufacture lots of airplanes in the State of Kansas. We are the air capital of the world. More general aviation aircraft than anyplace in the world are manufactured there, as well as commercial aircraft. And I sometimes think that if I have any reputation as being an advocate for aviation, it is probably because we manufacture so many airplanes. And that certainly is true. But I also would highlight the importance of an airport and airplanes to small communities across Kansas, not just in the manufacturing that is centered around South Central Kansas. But every community and their airport are an essential way in which that community has a brighter future. Airports and aviation, including commercial air service to small airports, are hugely important to the wellbeing of States like ours.

The American people deserve the safest. In fact, that is probably the most important component of what we can do here. It is to ensure, as best we can, the safety of the traveling and flying public. There is no future of aviation and aerospace in Kansas or elsewhere if citizens of our country and around the globe are not feeling safe and secure to fly. The American people deserve nothing less than the safest and most efficient aviation system in the world.

Our bill provides critical safety enhancements, grows America's aviation workforce, invests in infrastructure at airports in urban and rural communities, sets clear priorities for advancing innovation in aviation solutions, improves the flying public's travel experience, and ensures a healthy general aviation sector for years to come.

Again, I thank my colleagues on the committee for working to accomplish this moment. I look forward to the vote that takes place a little later today, and I encourage my colleagues to work hard to see that we get this completed in the next few days.

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