Senate Democrats Skip Town Leaving Thousands of FAA Jobs at Stake

August 3, 2011

Democrats Block 74,000 Jobs as They Chant “Jobs,Jobs, Jobs”

Senate Democrats skipped town on Tuesday evening without completing work on a bill to make the Federal Aviation Administration fully operational, imperiling as many as 70,000 construction jobs and keeping 4,000 FAA employees furloughed.
The House already passed a bill to fund the FAA, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised he would allow a Senate vote on the bill. But instead of taking action to preserve thousands of jobs, Senate Democrats threw a temper tantrum to protect wasteful taxpayer-funded subsidies to small airports. Apparently 74,000 American workers have to pay the price so Democrats can have their pet subsidies.
Meanwhile, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi continues to pretend that chanting the word “jobs” will make them magically appear, even as her fellow Democrats take action to destroy them.

Senate Democrats skipped town on Tuesday evening without completing work on a bill to make the Federal Aviation Administration fully operational, imperiling as many as 70,000 construction jobs and keeping 4,000 FAA employees furloughed:

SENATE ADJOURNS WITHOUT RESOLVING FAA SHUTDOWN, LEAVING 4,000 EMPLOYEES IN LIMBO: “The Senate adjourned without resolving a funding standoff that has left the Federal Aviation Administration in partial shutdown for more than a week. …

“But with Congress not expected to return until September, nearly 4,000 FAA employees are likely to remain furloughed without pay and many more employees of private contractors will be without work.” (“FAA Shutdown Continues as Congress Leaves for a Month,” The Austin-American Statesman, 8/2/2011)

70,000 CONSTRUCTION JOBS AT STAKE, TOO: “A partial shutdown of federal aviation programs has put roughly 70,000 workers in construction and related fields out of work, the Associated General Contractors of America said on Wednesday.” (Lisa Lambert, “US Air Program Shutdown Costs 70,000 Jobs—Contractors,”Reuters, 7/27/2011)

ALL BECAUSE OF “SUBSIDIES TO 13 RURAL AIRPORTS”: “Congressional lawmakers have been deadlocked on whether to extend the FAA’s funding because of a row over ending subsidies to 13 rural airports.” (“FAA Shutdown Could Cost U.S. $1bn in Ticket Taxes,” BBC News, 8/3/2011)

The House already passed a bill to fund the FAA, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised he would allow a Senate vote on the bill. But instead of taking action to preserve thousands of jobs, Senate Democrats threw a temper tantrum to protect wasteful taxpayer-funded subsidies to small airports. Apparently 74,000 American workers have to pay the price so Democrats can have their pet subsidies:

HARRY REID SAID TUESDAY WOULD ALLOW A VOTE ON HOUSE BILL TO FUND FAA: “QUESTION: ‘Senator, if Republicans don’t accept a clean extension, temporary extension to the FAA act here on the floor by the end of the day, will you guys accept the House version and reopen the FAA?’ REID: ‘Yes.

‘I have said that we have 80,000 jobs at least on the line. In Nevada, as an example, we have a new airport tower there where they started the construction about two weeks ago. All those people have been laid off. That’s a huge project. I don’t know, but it’s nearly a $100 million project. …

‘And I think as we — we learned with this big deal we’ve just done, sometimes you have to step back and find out what’s best for the country and not be bound by some of your own personal issues. And I’m willing to give that up. I hope the other senators would do the same.'” (Remarks from Sen. Harry Reid, Nexis, 8/2/2011)

BUT JUST HOURS LATER, REID DECIDED TO THROW A TANTRUM AND CHANGED HIS MIND: “Earlier Tuesday, Reid had told reporters that absent a resolution, Senate Democrats might be willing to consider the House Republicans’ version of the FAA reauthorization bill. … But on Tuesday night, Reid announced that he was not going to ask for consent on the FAA bill.” (Felicia Sonmez, “Senate, House Recess for Five Weeks, Leaving FAA in Limbo,” The Washington Post’s 2Chambers Blog, 8/2/2011)

MIND YOU, THE HOUSE PASSED FAA FUNDING EXTENSION TWO WEEKS AGO.Final Vote: 243-177. (Roll Call Vote 611, Clerk of the U.S. House, 7/20/2011)

Meanwhile, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi continues to pretend that chanting the word “jobs” will make them magically appear, even as her fellow Democrats take action to destroy them:

AUGUST 2, 2011: “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. YOU CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH.” (Pelosi news conference, 8/02/2011)

JULY 28, 2011: “The American people’s top priority is the creation of jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.” (“Pelosi Floor Speech in Opposition to Republican Default Act,” Office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 7/28/2011)