Photo by marc
Yesterday, August 4, Senate Democrats decided to pass the House bill today by unanimous consent to temporarily fund the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to mid-September.
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives adjourned for a 5 week recess without reconciling the bill with the Senate, knowing what it would cost taxpayers. They passed their bill and said take it.
The federal agency has been partially shut down since July 23. The House bill included $16.5 million in annual subsidy cuts for 13 rural airports, and a provision to bust the airline and railroad workers unions.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will issue waivers to the 13 airports facing subsidy cuts, essentially making this a clean bill.
In the past two weeks, 4,000 federal workers were furloughed, and 70,000 construction jobs were halted because of a lack of funds. 74,000 workers have not gotten paychecks for 2 weeks.
It cost American taxpayers $30 million per day in uncollected taxes for 13 days. That comes to $390 million. Bringing all the projects that were idled back up will cost yet more money that wouldn’t have needed to be spent. Had the Senate not acted, the total could have been $1 trillion by the time the House goes back in session in September.
For $390 million, the rural airport subsidy could have been fully funded for the next 24 years. 24 years!
Republicans really don’t care whether Americans have jobs or not, and they don’t care about fiscal responsibility. Or they failed math… How can anyone possibly justify losing $390 million in 13 days to save $16.5 million per year over the next 24 years? It’s easy. That can’t be justified at all.
The next time you hear a Republican legislator say “we’re focused on jobs”, that person is lying. They haven’t introduced a jobs bill in the House in the 212 days they’ve been in power. They furloughed 4,000 workers and temporarily laid off 70,000 workers. They killed that many jobs (temporarily for now), and stopped collecting taxes over an ideological debate. John Boehner wasn’t lying when he said if jobs are lost “so be it”.
This wasn’t about the money, the economy, or jobs. It was about busting the airline and railroad workers unions, and cutting rural communities off from air transport.
The fight will resume in mid-September. This bill is the 21st temporary funding bill for the FAA in 2 years. When is the FAA going to get proper funding again?
When are American citizens going to see for themselves that the Republicans are not fiscally responsible? This and too many other fights over money are penny-wise and pound-foolish. Spending $390 million in two weeks to save $16.5 million per year for 24 years is insane.
\\ tags: 21st temporary FAA funding bill, FAA, GOP disgrace, penny-wise and pound-foolish, temporary funding
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