[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 11, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PRIVATIZATION OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, the administration decided last week to 
privatize our air traffic controllers by executive order. So why are we 
spending millions on transportation security, federalizing baggage 
screeners, if we are going to commit ourselves to unsafe air travel?
  Our Nation's air travel problems were on the ground with the security 
screeners, not in the air with the traffic controllers. Why are we 
penalizing them? These men and women take pride every day in keeping 
their fellow citizens safe as they travel America's skies.
  On September 11, the controllers landed 5,000 planes in less than 2 
hours without an operational error. My question is, Where is the 
problem? Why are we privatizing it?
  The President's recent steps toward privatizing air controllers is a 
step towards disaster, and I state, towards disaster, literally. On 
September 11, we quickly realized that using private companies to 
handle airport security was a mistake. We federalized airport security 
because private contractors could not do the job. Why would we lock the 
windows, only to open the doors to potential disaster?
  Privatizing has proven to be a mistake in most prominent nations. I 
say this is wrong. Let us not privatize our system. Let us allow the 
controllers to do the job, to keep our airlines safe.

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