By Ben Sclair
The U.S. Senate passed legislation today (Thursday, September 15) that extends funding for the FAA four months and avoids a second partial FAA shutdown. The following quote on the topic blows me away. “It is a positive step for the country that the Congress has passed this historic combination of extensions, which is important for job creation and our nation’s infrastructure,” Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL) said. “With the FAA bill delayed four and half years and a two year delay on the highway measure, Congress must now act responsibly to enact long-term reauthorizations that will put Americans back to work and build our nation’s infrastructure.”
“A positive first step”? Huh? So does that means this is the 22nd consecutive positive step? Or maybe its 22 consecutive FIRST steps. Or it took 22 extensions to get one positive step. If at first you don’t succeed… “Which is important for job creation”? What? A four-month extension is going to create jobs? “Congress must now act responsibly”? Do I even really need to comment on this one?
The problem is, when congress acts “responsibly” it usually results in more new laws and spending. If the FAA funding is tied to a pork laden transportation spending bill, I understand why it keeps getting temporary extensions.