Rep. McCollum Supports Disaster Tax Relief, Airport, Airway Extension Act

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 -- Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on Oct. 3, supporting the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act:

Mr. Speaker, I fully support a long-term extension of FAA authority, and I am very concerned that the expiration on September 30th will have serious consequences for our air safety and economy. Congress owes the American people a bill that will provide stability for our air traffic controllers and keep our skies safe. So I am extremely disappointed that the Republican leadership has decided to attach a number of controversial and partisan policy provisions that are not germane to air travel and for that reason, I cannot support the bill in its original form.

For example, this legislation contains provisions that relate to hurricane disaster relief and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Unfortunately, this bill does not extend reauthorization, increase borrowing authority, or address the overall stability of the NFIP. Instead, Republicans have decided to use this legislation as a vehicle to develop the private flood insurance market. Furthermore, the provisions providing tax relief to hurricane victims are woefully inadequate in assisting our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Additionally, while this bill extends authority for a number of health care programs, Republicans have decided to disregard essential bipartisan priorities like the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers. These programs require immediate reauthorization, and failure to do so will leave states like Minnesota without money to provide healthcare for babies, children, and expecting mothers. Community health centers across the country will lose the support they need to provide basic healthcare. Some will even be forced to close. The bill also fails to address the urgent need to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program. While a short-term extension is included for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, the funding is inadequate.

Mr. Speaker, these are all important issues, and deserve immediate Congressional action, but the only way to solve them is with bipartisan solutions. Half measures and political games will only waste more time, and Democrats stand ready to work with our Republican colleagues to address each of these issues in a more thoughtful way.

The Republican leadership has had nine months to work out a bipartisan, long-term solution for FAA Reauthorization. Instead of working with Democrats to pass a customary multi-year reauthorization, the Republican leadership waited until the last minute to push forward only a six month patch. Republicans then wasted more time by including a number of unrelated and partisan provisions that had nothing to do with FAA Reauthorization. Their decision to include a provision that would have effectively dismantled the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) ensured that the previous version of this bill would never pass the Senate.

We owe the American public and our air traffic controllers better. Playing political games with something as important as airline safety is unacceptable. Failure to reauthorize FAA authority would leave our air traffic controllers and the travelling public at great risk. Not only would a lapse in reauthorization mean furloughs for tens of thousands of air traffic controllers, but it would also force vital airport improvement projects to come to a halt. The effects of this shutdown would have serious implications on America's economy and air safety.

Now that the Senate has stripped out the most controversial provisions of this legislation, I am able to support it. However, Congress must put aside partisan differences, work together, and produce a long-term extension that our airline industry so desperately needs.