FAA Modernization

Floor Speech

FAA MODERNIZATION -- (Senate - May 06, 2008)

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the underlying FAA bill that came out of the Commerce Committee had wide bipartisan support. The provisions that came out of the Finance Committee that are directly related to aviation financing have wide bipartisan support.

This bill was on a fast track to passage and to improving airline safety in our country. Unfortunately, our friends across the aisle bogged it down with extraneous provisions that do nothing to improve airline safety and that do not belong on this bill.

And then, to prevent any changes to those provisions, they used a procedure that used to be rare to block amendments and improvements to the bill. So rather than quickly passing an airline safety bill that has broad bipartisan support, our friends on the other side have decided it is more important to fight for a few pet projects.

Rather than quickly finish the bill and move on to gas prices, they have decided to dig in and fight for a few extra provisions for a few extra Senators. The right choice is clear: We should quickly pass the bipartisan aviation-related portions of the FAA bill and move on to legislation that addresses the high price Americans are paying at the pump.

Republicans put forward an energy proposal, a plan that gets at the root of the problem rather than at increased dependence on OPEC. The Republican plan would increase the supply of American energy and bolster American jobs while lowering our dependence on foreign oil.

Meanwhile, Democratic suggestions for addressing high gas prices ranged from driving slower to more frequent oil changes. This is a debate we are eager to have. One wonders if the reason our friends are stalling on the FAA bill is that they are worried about exposing the fact that they have no plan for gas prices.

But Americans who are paying close to $4 a gallon for gasoline do not particularly care which party comes up with the idea; they would like some action.

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