[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 69 (Friday, April 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 26, 2018

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4) to 
     reauthorize programs of the Federal Aviation Administration, 
     and for other purposes:

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chair, the United States 
maintains the world's safest and most complex aviation system in the 
world. The last multi-year FAA reauthorization bill expired in 2015. 
Since then, Congress has taken a patchwork approach to regulating 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations and programs, which I 
believe has threatened the safety and efficiency of our airways. Today, 
as we consider reauthorizing the programs and regulations that dictate 
how we manage our nation's airspace, I am encouraged that we are making 
real progress on a long-term bill that will reauthorize FAA operations 
through FY 2023.
  Overall, this bill represents an important first step to providing 
the long-term assurances and reliability that we need at the federal 
level to support FAA operations in Texas and across the country. Dallas 
is home to the fourth busiest airport in the world by aircraft 
movements, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and the largest 
hub for American Airlines. Having the certainty of a long-term 
authorization bill will help solidify the Dallas metroplex as a major 
hub for domestic travel and commerce, and allow it to flourish as an 
international gateway to every part of the world. The longer we delay 
passage of a long-term bill, the more expensive and more time consuming 
it will be to modernize our airspace for a 21st Century economy.
  This measure is not without criticism. I am disappointed to see that 
the underlying bill includes dramatic cuts to the Research, 
Engineering, and Development (RE&D) title that is lowered than the 
amounts appropriated in the FY 2018 Omnibus. I offered an amendment to 
restore critical RE&D funding for environmental sustainability, but I 
was disappointed that the Rules Committee would not make that language 
in order. Furthermore, I introduced an amendment to ensure transparency 
and accountability in FAA investment decisions by requiring 
performance-based standards to drive the evaluation and adoption of new 
aviation technologies, rather than arbitrary deadlines set by special 
interests.
  Mr. Speaker, while not perfect, H.R. 4 represents a discernible 
improvement over the piecemeal approach that Congress has taken with 
its series of short-term extensions over the years. Our nation's 
aviation stakeholders need the long-term certainty of federal 
involvement that only comes with a multi-year reauthorization of FAA 
programs. H.R. 4 would largely achieve that goal to provide the support 
and resources for the aviation community all across the United States. 
Therefore, barring no gross changes to the legislation, I offer my 
support to this legislation and urge my colleagues to support the 
underlying bill.

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