[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 156 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6200-S6201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.


      Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Recovery Effort and FAA 
                            Reauthorization

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the people of Puerto Rico and the 
Virgin Islands have been hit especially hard by powerful hurricanes. As 
I said earlier this week, the Senate will continue to work with FEMA, 
the Department of Defense, and the rest of the administration to help 
in the recovery, just as we have in Texas, Florida, and across the 
Southeast. We are eager to hear more soon about what additional 
resources will be necessary.
  The American people are stepping up, too, just as they always do, and 
so are the brave men and women of our military.

[[Page S6201]]

  This week, 70 soldiers and 8 aircraft from Kentucky's own 101st 
Airborne Combat Aviation Brigade deployed from Fort Campbell to Puerto 
Rico to support hurricane relief operations. These soldiers will join 
the larger joint force effort, which includes elements of the 26th 
Marine Expeditionary Unit, medical support teams, medevac aircraft, and 
elements from the Army Corps of Engineers.
  Kentucky is similarly proud of the men and women of its Air and Army 
National Guard who have worked to provide relief in the Virgin Islands, 
Puerto Rico, as well as in Texas where, according to recent reports, 
their efforts helped save more than 300 lives in the wake of Hurricane 
Harvey.
  We are all proud of their efforts, but we should not forget that 
disasters of these proportions typically require a response from nearly 
every arm of the Federal Government. The FAA plays a critical role as 
well.
  As we all know, the FAA's authority to collect and spend money from 
the aviation trust fund is set to expire on September 30, this week. 
These are the resources that fund repairs and replacement parts for our 
air traffic control system. Even absent a crisis, it would be 
irresponsible to let this lapse.
  We have read in recent days that air traffic in and out of Puerto 
Rico has already been limited because of damage done to radar, 
navigational aids, and other equipment. The Governor of Puerto Rico 
reports that air traffic control capacity is only at about 20 percent 
of normal.
  This critical air safety equipment needs repair. The FAA reports that 
failure to act on the reauthorization would leave them without 
sufficient funding in the accounts necessary for replacement parts, 
equipment, and supplies. They would have only enough funding to cover 
salary costs for these workers for about 1 week.
  These American territories are suffering. What they need right now is 
aid and assistance from the air, not a manufactured crisis from 
Washington on top of everything else. The House of Representatives will 
soon pass legislation that reauthorizes the FAA. It will help open up 
the air space to that aid so that it can get to where it is needed 
most.
  The House bill goes further by authorizing tax relief for individuals 
and businesses affected by the recent hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the 
Virgin Islands, and Texas and Florida, as well, because these disaster 
victims should not suffer a tax bill on top of their losses. We need to 
pass that legislation here in the Senate without further delay.