[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17961-17962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         AIR TRANSPORTATION SAFETY AND SYSTEM STABILIZATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 21, 2001

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, it is with great disappointment 
that I vote against this legislation before us tonight.
  The tragic events of September 11, 2001, have shocked and saddened 
all of us. In the weeks, months, and even years ahead, they will 
challenge us to fight for our freedoms and our values, and to figure 
out precisely how best to do that. As a Member of the U.S. Congress, 
representing not just the 650,000 people of my district, but the Nation 
as a whole, I want to do my part to decide what action must be taken 
and to constantly work with the people I represent so that their views 
and concerns can be heard, and so that I can keep them informed of the 
actions our Nation is taking and plans to take.
  Last week, I voted to authorize necessary and appropriate force in 
response to the attacks, and I voted for $40 billion in emergency 
funding to assist the victims and fund the investigation. I looked 
forward to supporting a package that would keep America's economy 
strong, by providing assistance to the American airline industry, 
helping our workers, and improving safety so that Americans feel 
confident in our skies again.
  I looked forward to doing all of this in a bipartisan way. I know 
there are many differences of opinion in this body, even in times of 
great national emergency, regarding corporate liability, job training, 
federal control of aviation security, and other critically important 
issues, but I hoped that both sides would be able to give a little and 
compromise so that we could quickly put forth a package that would help 
heal the economic wounds that have been inflicted since September 11.
  The leadership of both parties in both the House and the Senate and 
their staffs have worked tirelessly to put together a package that 
could garner bipartisan support and address all of these issues I've 
outlined, and I appreciate that. However, I don't believe this package 
in front of us tonight is nearly well-balanced enough because it 
doesn't address the worker concerns or safety concerns. I am opposing 
it because I think we need to go back to the drawing board and fix it. 
If it takes until tomorrow, or Monday, or Tuesday, we need to get this 
right.
  This legislation provides $5 billion in direct aid to the airlines, 
$10 billion in loan guarantees to airlines, government aid with 
insurance for airlines, and caps the airlines' financial liability. I 
support all of these provisions.
  However, I believe it would be irresponsible not to also address 
safety issues and employee issues. After all, we cannot have a strong 
and vibrant airline industry in this country without people who want to 
fly, and that will require both people who have money in their pockets 
to buy airline tickets, and a dramatic improvement in consumer 
confidence that will only come with real safety improvements.
  This legislation will cost over $15 billion. I find it unbelievable 
that we could not find one dollar to cushion the blow for the workers 
who will be affected--by latest estimates, approximately 100,000 
workers will be laid off as a direct result of the attacks on September 
11. Bolstering the airline industry so that we can minimize these 
layoffs is imperative, but the sad truth is, even this $15 billion will 
not save very many of the jobs lost due to the terrorist attacks. Many 
workers in my district, who work at Boeing's 737 plant in Renton, fear 
a layoff notice as early as next month. I'm sure the thousands of 
Alaska Airlines and SeaTac Airport employees in my district are worried 
too. I have faith that the industry and the economy will recover, but 
that won't help with these workers' mortgage, electric bill, or car 
payment.
  Right now, if a group of workers can prove that their job was lost 
due to trade, they are eligible for a series of benefits including job 
training and income support. Why can't we extend the same benefits for 
the thousands of workers who will lose their jobs and have trouble 
finding a new one rlght away? Can't we send just a few dollars to the 
men and women who will no longer fly the planes, sell the tickets, load 
the bags, attend to the passengers, or build the planes?
  Before he passed away, my father was one of those men. He worked for 
thirty years as a ramp serviceman for United Airlines at SeaTac 
Airport, so I know firsthand how important these jobs are to Americans, 
and I can't imagine what my father would have said if, after this 
attack, Congress had passed a relief package that gave $15 billion to 
the airline industry and not a dollar for the thousands of workers who 
will be impacted within the next weeks.
  Let me just say a few words about safety and security issues. I 
strongly support the U.S. airline industry, and I believe that we 
should, at this critical moment in history, stand behind them. However, 
I think we have to fairly and reasonably examine the events of 
September 11. Our current airport security system allowed four U.S. 
planes to be hijacked by men with

[[Page 17962]]

knives, some of whom were on the terrorist watch list. It's safe to say 
that the airport security system failed us.
  If we are passing legislation to improve the condition of the airline 
industry, shouldn't we also address this issue? Perhaps airport 
security should truly be a security issue, not merely a business issue 
that, until last week, was mostly considered in terms of a company's 
bottom line. Don't get me wrong--the bottom line is important to our 
capitalist economy, but I have come to the conclusion that airport 
security should not be subject to those concerns. There are many 
interesting ideas out there for how to improve it, but I believe first 
and foremost we need to make airport security a responsibility of the 
Federal Government: perhaps under the Department of Transportation, or 
the Coast Guard.
  In conclusion, I want to again express my disappointment at having to 
oppose this bill. I sincerely hope that the President, Senate leaders, 
and House leaders will work to address these important concerns before 
a package is signed into law.

                          ____________________