... now you don't – an FAA funding bill, that is. During the past week it appeared that the U.S. Senate was finally going to pass aviation authorization, something which the House did in mid-2007. Alas, the word out of Washington now is that it won't happen and that what the industry will likely get is another continuing resolution that keeps the system running (and AIP dollars moving) through September, the end of the federal government's fiscal year.
What is holding up movement in the Senate is the same parochial bickering that has become the trademark of Washington politics over the past decade. When you have highway amendments being tacked onto an aviation bill, something is amiss.
It is truly hard to fathom that Congress can stand up to the industry and the American public with a straight face on this issue. The airline industry is in turmoil; FAA is being hammered for safety inspection snafus and its ongoing sour relationship with the air traffic controllers; airports need money for infrastructure; and the ATC system needs to be modernized. Yet, in Washington nothing happens, and it's always somebody else's fault.
The U.S. Congress should be ashamed of itself. But then, that's assuming that the word 'shame' is even in the Congressional dictionary.
Thanks for reading. jfi