Furloughed FAA Employees Compensation Act of 2011

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2887) to provide an extension of surface and air transportation programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2887.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to extend once again authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration and for our Nation's transportation, highway, and transit programs.

Unfortunately, these are extensions that have been piled upon extensions for both of these programs. And while the legislation before us is important and it signifies a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to move forward, it must not be just a temporary bandaid for our important aviation, highway, rail, and safety programs, and for future job creation for our Nation.

To build our Nation's infrastructure and to really put people to work, we need long-term reauthorizations for these programs. Unfortunately, this bill is the 22nd FAA extension and the eighth surface transportation extension. Congress, unfortunately, has delayed passing a long-term FAA reauthorization for over 4 years, and a surface transportation bill has lagged for some 2 years. This action today represents a last chance to roll up our sleeves and get transportation projects moving forward in America again.

A couple of comments about this legislation.

H.R. 2887 is a clean 6-month extension for surface transportation programs, and it's also a clean 4-month extension for aviation programs. The extension's funding levels are consistent with the Full- Year Continuing Appropriations Act, our CR passed by Congress in April of this year.

For surface transportation, the bill authorizes $19.9 billion for highway, $660 million for highway safety, and $5.1 billion for transit, for a total of $25.6 billion. That's just for the 6-month period. While I would like to do a 6-year bill, our intention with this action today is to remain firmly committed to the commitment to do a 6-year transportation bill.

This is a 6-month extension. Why 6 months? Because our States and our other entities that depend on a reliable funding partner must have some certainty. When we did the CR--which expires in just a few weeks here-- we were able to extend, on the seventh extension, our transportation programs

until the end of this month. So we think this is being good stewards and responsible, again, in extending for 6 months a period in which there can be some stability in these important transportation projects, and also to make certain that jobs and employment in this area move forward.

In July, I released a transportation reauthorization proposal. This was an outline. We've been working with our Democrat colleagues in a bipartisan fashion since that time to actually craft language which is acceptable to set forth the policy and the funding schedule, all of the authorization that's so important to keep our Nation's infrastructure projects moving forward. So this should give us enough time to complete that process and get that legislation before us. With unemployment in the construction industry at record-high levels, it's imperative that we also provide this time.

Let me talk about FAA for a minute. This bill does authorize funds through the end of January for FAA. This is a list of extensions of FAA. I had the opportunity, as the chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, in 2003 to craft a 4-year FAA bill, which expired in 2007. So I helped write the last FAA 4-year authorization that expired in 2007. Here are the extensions.

The Democrats controlled the House of Representatives and the Senate. Here, if you start in when you had the Obama administration take over, they also controlled the White House, the House, and the Senate. And we get down to the 17th extension under Democrat control, and I have agreed to three of them. I said enough is enough, and we must move forward with a long-term authorization. I stand before you today and say that, while the measures that we took in the last extension for FAA were somewhat extraordinary, this situation demands attention and action for long-term legislation by the United States Congress, and I'm going to make certain that we do everything to see that people are working in this industry and that we meet our responsibility for setting the policy for one of the most important industries in the United States, our aviation industry.

So this is the history of what has taken place. This is the 22nd extension, and I can guarantee it will be the last extension because we must and we will pass a 4-year authorization. While there are some issues that remain to be resolved, we will continue working in a bipartisan manner. We passed legislation from the House. I look forward to working with Senator Rockefeller and others, Kay Bailey Hutchison, the ranking Republican in the Senate, Mr. Costello and Mr. Rahall, to get this legislation done.

I urge my colleagues to support these two extensions rolled into one,

I yield myself 1 minute.

Again, I enjoy working with the ranking member, Mr. Rahall, and just wanted to comment on his discussion of the FAA shutdown.

Just for the record, the facts are that the House of Representatives, in a bipartisan vote, passed an FAA extension on July 20, 3 days prior to the deadline, July 22, 2011.

Fact: the FAA extension contained reductions in thousand-dollar-plus airline pork subsidies affecting only three airports. The language that we adopted from the Senate affected 10 airports within 90 miles.

The Senate Democrats, after 2 weeks of forcing a partial FAA shutdown, meekly went to the Senate floor and, in 71 seconds, passed the House extension that was available.

I yield myself 15 additional seconds.

The fact is that only pork ticket subsidies were excluded.

The fact is that the Democrats controlled the United States House and Senate for 4 years, letting FAA authorization expire in 2007, forcing 17 extensions, and even with the Presidency from 2009 until the beginning of this year were unable to pass FAA legislation.

I yield 3 minutes to the chair of the Aviation Subcommittee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).

I yield myself 1 minute.

Again, I think it's important that we pass this bipartisan extension. We wouldn't be here passing a combination of the transportation, highway, transit and FAA extensions if we hadn't taken action that was extraordinary. There was more than sufficient time for the Senate to act.

Again, and I will submit this as part of the Record, the Democrats had complete control of the House and Senate in extraordinary majorities and never passed a bill, never appointed conferees. We have only had this responsibility since the beginning of this year, and we will pass a long-term bill and take whatever action is necessary to do that.

Today we are moving the process forward, and I applaud leadership on both sides of the aisle, bipartisan, bicameral.

I yield myself 30 seconds.

Again, just to deal with facts and reality, I think Mr. Cantor, myself, and others on the Republican side support transportation, building the country's infrastructure and jobs. But we have to look at what took place.

Of a $787 billion stimulus bill, only $63 billion, 7 percent, went for infrastructure. Now, the proposal this week is up to 12 percent of $450 billion. Eighty-one percent of the stimulus transportation projects were temporary, created temporary jobs for repaving sidewalks and short-term projects, and less than one-half of 1 percent of the stimulus money went for new construction.

I am pleased to yield at this time, if I may, 2 minutes to the chair of the Rail Subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

I would like to yield 1\3/4\ minutes to one of our vice chairs, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hanna).

I yield myself 15 seconds.

Just to set the record straight, I went to the Democrat side, the other side of the aisle, when we proposed the stimulus legislation. I asked to double the amount for infrastructure. I think I got 14 or more votes from the other side of the aisle, but I had the motion to recommit. I offered it and it was not accepted.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, we do need to move forward. This isn't the time to bicker. This is the time to put people to work. This is the time to pass long-term reauthorization.

I said earlier this cannot be another Band-Aid. We have had 21 extensions. This is the eighth transportation bill extension.

My dad used to say, you know, John, it's not how much you have, it's also how you spend it. We have to learn lessons. As of September 1, 2011, just a few days ago, 35 percent of the limited amount of transportation stimulus dollars for infrastructure still remained in Washington, so it's not just spending people's money, it's spending it wisely.

The other thing too is the money we spent; 82 percent of it went for short-term employment. Those jobs have come and gone, a little repaving, little jobs here. We need long-term commitment, so I am committed to do whatever it takes to pass a 6-year transportation bill and a 4-year FAA authorization.

The people of this country deserve no less than having responsible action by this Congress to move these important infrastructure and job- creating programs forward, and we are going to do it, mark my word.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the ranking member for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation before us today. The legislation is a clean extension of the FAA bill and also takes the authorization through the extension through January 31 of 2012.

In February of this year, the Senate passed a bipartisan comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill by a vote of 87-8. By contrast, in April the House approved an extension that was very controversial, and it was a bill that was passed on a party-line vote. In fact, the House-passed bill passed by the narrowest vote margin for a House FAA authorization bill in almost 30 years.

I said at the time that the poison pill provision that was put in the bill by the majority would prevent the bill from passing both the House and the Senate and being signed into law by the President. And, in fact, the White House said that they would veto the legislation with the poison pill provision. So we knew at that point that the reauthorization bill was not going anywhere with that provision in the bill.

It's been 5 months since the other body invited the House leadership to appoint conferees and sit down at the table with Senate conferees to, in fact, try and work out an agreement between the House and the Senate. In July of this year, instead of passing a clean FAA extension, the Republican leadership put a poison pill provision in that extension that led to a shutdown of the FAA for almost 2 weeks, costing the FAA more than $400 million in lost revenue in that 2-week period. I'm pleased that the House leadership stepped in, brought a clean extension to the floor today.

The American people are tired of all the games. They're tired of all the one side blaming the other side. They want reasonable people to come together, in this body and in the Senate, to act reasonably and do the right thing.

The Senate has appointed their conferees. We should appoint--the Republican leadership in the House should appoint conferees in this body immediately so that we, in fact, can get a long-term authorization bill. Let's stop the games. Let's appoint conferees so that we can pass a comprehensive reauthorization bill now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2887, the ``Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011.'' This bill contains a ``clean'' extension of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) authority to spend from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and to carry out airport improvement projects at current funding levels through January 31, 2012.

In February, the Senate approved a bipartisan comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill by a wide 87-to-8-vote margin. By contrast, in April the House approved an extremely controversial FAA reauthorization bill by a party-line vote. The House bill, in fact, garnered the narrowest vote margin for a House FAA reauthorization bill in almost 30 years, and the White House has threatened to veto it.

Since the House FAA reauthorization bill was introduced, I, and several House Republicans, have warned that it contains a number of controversial ``poison pill'' provisions that seriously jeopardize the enactment of a long-term bill this year. It is now clear that we were absolutely right.

It has been five months since the Senate invited House Republicans to join them at the bargaining table, appoint conferees, and complete work on a long-term FAA reauthorization. Yet Republican gamesmanship and insistence on poison pill provisions have so far led to an FAA shutdown and a complete failure to enact long-term, job-creating legislation.

In July, the House Republicans attached an objectionable policy rider on rural air service cuts to the short-term FAA extension. The policy rider was included as a ``tool'' to pressure Senate Democrats into giving into Republicans'' assault on collective-bargaining rights in a long-term reauthorization bill.

My Republican colleagues' strategy backfired, however, and resulted in a shutdown of the FAA for two weeks. In those two weeks, the shutdown cost the Nation almost $400 million in lost revenue--more than 20 times the amount of money that, according to House Republicans, their policy rider would have saved over the course of an entire year. Tens of thousands of American jobs were jeopardized. The Nation cannot afford the cost and burden of a repeat performance, so I will support this clean four-month FAA extension.

However, I am very concerned about the events leading up to the introduction of this extension. Immediately following last month's disastrous FAA shutdown, House Republicans issued a defiant press release threatening to use new ``tools'' to coerce Senate Democrats. Yet, there have been no discussions or negotiations with the Senate since the shutdown, and House Republicans still refuse to appoint conferees to complete a long- term bill.

Late last week, Chairman Mica was quoted by reporters stating there would be a ``new

twist'' in the FAA extension. Then on Friday, the press reported that House Republicans would introduce another ``go it alone'' FAA extension bill with across-the-board-cuts to FAA programs. But on Friday night, House Republicans backed off their plan and made public a new clean highway and FAA extension.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans just don't get it. The American public is sick and tired of grandstanding and games. Nobody wants to see any more new twists in reauthorizing the FAA. The House Republicans have failed to enact a long-term FAA reauthorization bill this year, they have refused to appoint conferees and move the process forward, and they have nobody to blame but themselves for their failure.

While I support this four-month extension, I now believe that Congress should consider a long-term one year extension of FAA programs. I have said before, and I will say again, that serial extensions are creating uncertainty in the construction industry and costing us jobs. And now Republican political gamesmanship is creating new instability that is hurting the economy.

For the meantime, with these reservations, I support this extension in the interest of keeping hard-working Americans at work and preventing another shutdown.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2887, the ``Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011.''

First of all, I want to thank Chairman Mica and Ranking Member Rahall for bringing this clean FAA reauthorization extension bill to the floor.

Our Nation needs and deserves a well-funded multimodal transportation system. Business leaders, construction companies, labor groups, and rider advocates all agree that transportation infrastructure is critical to putting people back to work and improving our crumbling transportation system.

Transportation and infrastructure funding is absolutely critical to the

Nation, and, if properly funded, serves as a tremendous economic boost and job creator. The fact is that the Department of Transportation's statistics show that for every billion dollars invested in transportation, we generate 44,000 jobs and $6.2 billion in economic activity.

Indeed, our Nation's long-term prosperity requires that we invest in our infrastructure. For example, China is currently spending 9 percent of their GDP on infrastructure, about $300 billion, while we are spending less than 2 percent.

Clearly this lack of investment has led to a crumbling infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers in the 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, gave the United States a grade of D.

It's time for this Congress and our committee to get serious about putting people back to work. There is no better way to do this than funding transportation at a level that is truly improving our system. We can no longer afford the status quo if we want to compete internationally with countries who understand the importance of infrastructure.

Let's pass this bill now. Let's finish a long-term FAA and surface reauthorization bill. As the Governor of Florida says, let's get to work, let's put people to work.

In an article that was in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday, Hank Fishkind said, ``This is the recovery, and it's going to take time,'' but he points out the importance of the infrastructure and putting people to work.

Once again, I want to thank Mr. Mica, Mr. Rahall, the committee, and the staff. Let's get to work and let's put the American people back to work.

[From the Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 11, 2011]

Talking With . . . Hank Fishkind: This Is the Recovery--and It's Going

to Take Time, Economist Says

(By Jim Stratton)

Hank Fishkind is a prominent Central Florida economist and

former adviser to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. He talked recently

with Sentinel reporter Jim Stratton.

CFB: How bad has Central Florida's economy been in the last

two years, and what's surprised you the most?

These are the worst economic conditions since the 1974-75

oil embargo. Not only has tourism turned down, but we had a

boom and bust of unprecedented proportions in the real estate

market. The thing that shocked me the most was the panic in

the financial markets at the depths of the recession. We

almost had a collapse of the banking system.

CFB: Do you believe we've moved into a recovery?

This is the recovery. It's not like we're going to get more

recovery. This is it. From a national perspective, following

the bursting of asset bubbles, national economies recover

slowly. That's what history teaches us. We've had a

tremendous asset bubble burst in the real estate market. It

takes time to heal from that.

CFB: What policies would you suggest?

We need for the president to propose, and Congress to be

accepting of, two major initiatives. We need, in the short

run, to provide some stimulus, and we need in the longer run

to restructure the entitlement programs and our tax system.

If we choose to restrict spending significantly over next six

to 12 months, we'll convert this slowdown into zero growth or

a recession. We need to have some stimulative spending.

Cutting now would be a dreadful error.

CFB: How much of the slow growth is function of people's

fears and how much is a function of lingering structural

problems?

There are still some substantial structural imbalances that

hold back growth. Certainly that's true in the housing

markets. In addition, the uncertainly over the debt ceiling,

the debilitating debate, the downgrade of U.S. debt, the

volatility in financial markets . . . All those things

combined, legitimately make business and individual decision

making more conservative.

CFB: Are tax increases needed to balance the budget?

There has to be tax increases as part of the program. We

can't just simply hope and plan to cut costs sufficiently to

make that happen. The costs cuts would be so dramatic as to

compromise economic growth so much in the short run, that the

long run might not matter.

CFB: How do you think Gov. Rick Scott has done from an

economic policy standpoint?

I like the vision. I think that's important. I would like

to see that vision built upon with more real action and less

rhetoric. For example, the plan to stimulate and accelerate a

billion dollars worth of road projects: It's a great idea. I

think now we need to see it executed.

CFB: This area has talked a lot about the need to diversify

the economy. How would you say local leaders have done?

I think that they've done a great job so far. Burnham is

here. We have a major medical city at Lake Nona, in part

because of public-private partnership. We have a wonderful

simulation industry on the east side, because of public-

private partnerships that helped keep Lockheed here. So I

think we've done much better than most places. Going forward,

in an environment of slow growth, those places that are

willing and able to continue to provide some public-private

partnerships will greatly benefit.

CFB: You've developed the reputation as the guy developers

and businesses go to when they need an economist's support

before elected officials. Do you think that reputation is

fair?

I would say I always tried to speak my mind as I really

believed things to be. I've promoted projects when I believed

that they add to the welfare and economy of the community.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 2887, the Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011. In this regard, I do commend the Senate and House leadership for arriving at an agreement late Friday afternoon on an extension of our Nation's surface transportation programs through March 31, 2012, and the programs under the FAA through January 31, 2012, at the current funding levels and without any adverse policy riders.

I commend our chairman, Mr. Mica; the subcommittee chair, Mr. Duncan, on Surface; the Air Subcommittee chair, Mr. Petri; and our ranking subcommittee members, Mr. Costello on Aviation and Mr. DeFazio on Surface.

Extending these programs is critical to our economic recovery. And the pending measure does so without any of the poison pills of the past or draconian cuts to investment in our surface transportation programs. Failure to extend the surface transportation programs could shut down more than 134,000 active highway and bridge projects and over 5,000 active transit projects, jeopardizing the jobs of more than 1 million private-sector American jobs over the next year.

The funding levels in the pending measure are far more preferable than what we are seeing proposed by Republicans on the Appropriations Committee. Just last week, they rolled out a fiscal year 2012 Transportation appropriations bill which proposes to slash highway and transit investment, destroying more than 600,000 good paying, private- sector American jobs, jobs that would be lost in every State of the Union.

I cannot support these dangerous and draconian cuts to investments in America's future. To keep pace with India, China, and our other international competitors, we need to invest more, not less in America's future. If we stop investing in the future, there is simply no way we can retire the debt of the past.

It is my hope that with this 6-month extension of highway, highway safety, and transit programs, we can come together and work to develop a long-term, robust Surface Transportation authorization bill that keeps the Nation economically competitive, meets the demands of the 21st century, and creates millions of family-wage American jobs.

The pending measure also provides for a clear extension in the Nation's aviation programs under the FAA. Our aviation system is slightly more than a month into its recovery from the shock, the shock of a Republican-led FAA shutdown for 2 weeks in July and August; and I'm pleased that my Republican friends have chosen not to force another shutdown. I trust they recognize the damage that was caused to our Nation's aviation system and the financial hardship placed on working- class families across the country when they chose to force a policy rider into an otherwise clean extension in July and caused a senseless 2-week shutdown of major parts of the FAA.

Pending the enactment of a long-term bill, and I join our chairman in our desire to see such passed, this short-term extension is the responsible path forward. It will avert more damage to the aviation system and the economy.

With that said, what we should be doing is completing the conference committee on the long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Three months ago, House and Senate negotiators informally narrowed down the list of differences between the two Chambers to just a few. The Senate appointed conferees over 5 months ago, yet the House has not followed suit. So let us finish a long-term reauthorization and show the American people that Congress puts planes and passengers before politics.

I urge support of the pending measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to our distinguished subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished ranking member on our Economic Development Subcommittee, the gentlelady from the District of Columbia, Eleanor Holmes Norton.

May I have a time check, please, Mr. Speaker.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Hank Johnson.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

I yield the balance of my time to the ranking member of our Subcommittee on Railroads, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2887, the Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011. I am glad to see that a clean authorization could be reached, but there are important issues that must be considered in the future.

Prior to H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act being sent to the Senate, I offered an amendment to establish a mandate that at the top twenty United States airports, there shall be no fewer than three air traffic controllers on duty during periods of airfield operations. I firmly believe this provision will ensure that air traffic control towers at high volume airports in this country will be appropriately staffed at all times.

We have all heard the recent stories of air traffic controllers falling asleep, or being locked out of the control tower, or for whatever reason, not being able to be on the job, on duty at critical times.

I submit that by simply having a codified policy that at the busiest and most critical airports we mandate there be personnel redundancy in control towers, we can make the aviation system much safer.

Think about the people on planes flying across our country. They are our grandmothers, husbands, wives, and babies. They are American passengers and their lives have value. To ensure their safety we must insist that air traffic controllers are vigilant. To ensure their vigilance we must set reasonable minimum standards.

After 9/11, we discovered the vital importance of protecting our domestic airspace. Air traffic controllers are part of the front line of defense to protect and ensure the safety of our air space. If they lose contact with a plane, they can alert authorities. If an air traffic controller at a major domestic and international airport is asleep at the wheel who will make that call?

It is unfair to put the lives of American passengers at high volume airports at any time in the hands of one individual, who may at some point be incapacitated. Even pilots have co-pilots. What if the controller fell ill? What then? What would you tell those passengers on the plane? Hope for the best? We need to provide the support that air traffic controllers need in addition to the responsibility.

This language I support creates a mandate, that at all times there must be a minimum of three air traffic controllers in the tower during hours of airfield operation. I commend Secretary LaHood for ordering a second air traffic controller to be on duty overnight at National Airport. However, the Secretary's action simply evidences that there is no current mandate for multiple air traffic controllers. According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, most airports operate 24 hours a day with two controllers in the tower for the midnight-to-6 a.m. shift. The operative word is ``most''; we must act to create a uniform nationwide standard, verifiable and enforceable by the FAA.

This legislation extends the funding for surface transportation through March, and aviation through January. As we move forward and prepare to consider this legislation in the coming months, it is my hope that my colleagues will consider these important provisions. Increasing the number of air traffic controllers on duty is a simple way to keep the American people safe.

I am pleased to pass a clean extension of funding for our Nation's surface transportation and aviation networks. I will continue to advocate for an increased number of air traffic controllers as Congress returns to this issue in the next session.