[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 141 (Thursday, October 10, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1476-E1477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 
                                  2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 9, 2013

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, once again we are considering a 
piecemeal bill to fund just one part of the federal government while 
ignoring every other priority. Speaker Boehner continues to prevent 
this House from working its will and passing a clean CR that

[[Page E1477]]

would open the FAA and every other agency in our government. That is 
undemocratic and, in the face of increasing negative impacts from this 
government shutdown, unsustainable.
  Of course we all want the Federal Aviation Administration to open. 
But there are many more transportation safety programs that the House 
Republican leadership is ignoring by failing to bring a clean CR to the 
Floor. Just this weekend, there was a terrible accident during track 
work on the DC metro system. But 95 percent of the National 
Transportation Safety Board's employees are furloughed, so they can't 
investigate. 94 percent of the Federal Transit Administration's 
employees are furloughed, preventing them from fully implementing the 
new safety oversight responsibilities that so many of us worked hard to 
include in MAP-21. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
has had to suspend investigations into safety defects in cars.
  We need all of our transportation systems to be safe. Let's vote on a 
clean CR today and put all federal employees back to work.

                          ____________________