Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. I certainly understand all Federal programs should be prepared and subjected to cost-saving measures, and Essential Air Service is actually no different. That is why we passed reforms during the FAA reauthorization last year to improve efficiency and save taxpayer dollars.

Additionally, the underlying bill today already includes a reduction in funding for the EAS program. While there is room for savings in all programs, totally eliminating EAS outright would be counterproductive.

The Essential Air Service program serves an important purpose in rural and remote areas. Businesses in rural America actually compete more effectively with even the limited air service that might be available.

Last year, the House rejected this amendment, and I encourage my colleagues to do so once again.

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