Senate Appropriations Committee Leaders Oppose Taking Away Congressional Oversight Over the Air Traffic Control System
Washington—Yesterday, Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Vice Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), as well as Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), issued a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation opposing taking our air traffic control system away from Congressional oversight.
The letter comes as Congress is about to debate reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and proposals which could put our air traffic control system in the hands of a private entity. According to the letter, Congressional authority is necessary to ensure that the “FAA maintains a system that works across the aviation industry, including general aviation and small and rural communities as well as commercial airlines and large metropolitan cities.”
That letter can be viewed here