[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Page 28517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      FUNDING FOR AIRPORT PROJECTS

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, maintaining and improving this country's 
airports and aviation infrastructure is crucial to economic growth and 
opportunity at both the local and national levels. That is why it is so 
unfortunate that Congress has not yet been able to pass the Federal 
Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation.
  The fact is, this legislation need not have been controversial. But 
it was made controversial, because conferees went behind closed doors 
and made changes that contravene the clearly expressed will of both 
houses of Congress.
  My point today is not to rehash the substantive arguments on the 
points under dispute. I simply want to stress that in no event should 
this dispute be allowed to bring important airport and aviation 
projects screeching to a halt. Instead, the responsible path is to 
recognize that the controversial elements of the legislation may take 
some time to resolve. In the meantime, both sides should agree to a 
short-term extension of FAA funding programs, so that no aviation 
project is held hostage to politics.
  Senator Rockefeller has introduced a bill to provide for a 6-month 
extension of FAA funding programs, and I am signing on as a cosponsor. 
I hope that our colleagues will join in supporting this legislation, to 
ensure that funding for local airports projects will not become a 
victim of political brinksmanship.

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