[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 170 (Friday, November 21, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15393-S15394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Madam President, tonight we got some good news. I 
want to just say a few words about the FAA bill because we have 
resolved the issue on air traffic control. The good news is that 
tonight we scored a victory, a victory for safety and a victory for 
homeland security.
  As many of my colleagues know, I held up the FAA traffic control bill 
in order to get some assurance that the safety and security of the 
flying public would not be jeopardized by the privatization of the air 
traffic control system. I am pleased to announce that we have now 
received an assurance from the administration regarding fiscal year 
2004. Until the end of this fiscal year, the administration has agreed 
not to privatize any components of our air traffic control system. The 
controllers are protected, the technicians are protected, the flight 
service station controllers--all of those units that make up the air 
traffic control system--are protected. We have a letter stating the 
administration's assurance.
  Some of my colleagues have asked why I was doing this: Why do you 
feel so strongly about it? I put it in personal terms. I told them: 
Because I don't want my grandchildren or your grandchildren or the 
grandchildren of our constituents put in danger by a risky 
privatization scheme. That is what was at stake here.
  I extend my thanks to many of my colleagues for their support in this 
fight, specifically our Commerce Committee ranking member, Senator 
Hollings, and the subcommittee ranking member, Senator Rockefeller, 
Senator Dorgan, and the leader and assistant leader of our caucus, 
Senators Daschle and Reid. They always stayed strong and said ``safety 
first.''
  Senator Lott has been an honest broker throughout this process. He 
kept the discussions alive.
  It was a tough fight. But at the heart of this fight was the reality 
that it was a bipartisan decision. In June of this year, 11 Republicans 
voted to prevent privatization, to stand up for safety. I know we often 
get pressured to vote with our caucus or vote with our party's 
President, but sometimes you just have to stand up for your 
constituents' safety, and that is what my Republican friends did here.
  Within days of returning to the Senate earlier this year, I learned 
that the administration intended, through this A-76 process, to 
privatize air traffic control. In my previous 18 years, I had an active 
interest in aviation and the air traffic control system. But the moment 
I learned of the administration's actions, I knew I would spend much of 
this year fighting to prevent that action from taking place. We won a 
Senate vote to prevent privatization. We fought off the terrible first 
conference report. We fought the pending conference report until we 
received the assurances that we got tonight.
  But the fight is not over, and I will continue to push for a 
permanent prohibition. In the words of California's current Governor, 
I'll be back. We are going to fight this again, and we will keep 
fighting it until it goes away for good.
  I am reminded, 700 million people fly in our skies every year, 
roughly 2 million a day. Our system is going to be pushed to the limits 
of capacity in these next couple of weeks in what will be the busiest 
travel day of the year. I hope travelers will rest assured knowing that 
control of the skies will be in the hands of professionals, the 
Government employees who make up the air traffic control system.

  This is the greatest air traffic control system in the world, most 
safe, most efficient. There are 15,000 Federal air traffic controllers 
and thousands of professional systems specialists and flight service 
station controllers. These are the men and women who keep our skies 
safe and secure.
  But there are some obvious lessons we need to heed, those of 
September 11, when the air traffic control system worked flawlessly to 
bring home safely some 5,000 airplanes in just a couple of hours. These 
are the lessons from other countries that have tried this. They were 
left with just what could be expected: Less safety, more delays, and 
more cost in the end.
  There are lessons from the space program.
  I look forward to examining these issues during the policy debate to 
which our chairman is committed. I hope there can be an adequate 
discussion for the American people so they can learn how, after next 
year, the White House proposes to put their safety and security at 
risk--if they do, all for the benefit of the profit motive.
  I would like to mention one other item in this bill that is of 
particular importance to the State of New Jersey. Our great State has a 
proud history of aviation with a number of public use airports. 
Certainly the occupant of the chair understands since aviation in 
Alaska is the lifeblood of that beautiful State. Our great State has a 
proud history with a number of public use airports, and now some of 
these airports are disappearing, giving way to urban sprawl and 
development. To help stem this problem, a key provision in this bill 
establishes a pilot program

[[Page S15394]]

which offers additional tools to States to enable them to preserve 
these public use airports. I am hopeful this program will be used to 
keep these important facilities for general aviation, corporate, and 
agricultural uses, and the medevac and firefighting uses which depend 
on sufficient airport facilities to continue to operate.
  I commend the chairman of the Commerce Committee, Chairman McCain, 
for working with me on this provision.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ensign). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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