[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 15166-15167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lowenthal) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I am greatly saddened by what has taken 
place the past few days with the closure of the government. We are 
participating in a downward spiral that has no end in sight. And we've 
lost the ability to relate to ordinary Americans. It's important to 
talk about how our actions, our inactions here in Washington affect the 
very people that we represent.
  I want to talk to you today about two people who have been impacted 
tremendously by the actions of this House to close down government. Let 
me begin with one of my constituents, who is an FAA safety inspector 
who has been furloughed. He has been furloughed, as I mentioned, from 
his job as a Federal Aviation Administration aviation inspector because 
we have not been able to keep the government open.
  He reached out to me, and I have here his letter. He reached out to 
me and asked that I share his concerns with all Members of Congress and 
with the public at large. He made it clear to

[[Page 15167]]

me that he was not here to talk about or to ask me to minimize the 
hardship that is going on in his family. Instead, he wrote that he 
wanted to express his concerns that the aviation inspectors will not be 
on the job to ensure the safety of U.S. travelers.
  My constituent, a retired Army officer, veteran, wanted me to 
specifically talk about four safety functions that are now not being 
performed by FAA inspectors under this government shutdown. First, 
surveillance of aircraft, pilots, both domestic and foreign repair 
stations have been halted, leaving aircraft maintenance and aviation 
operations unchecked.
  Second, in-flight cockpit inspections have been suspended, meaning 
that safety inspectors are not in the air overseeing aircraft, pilots, 
flight crewmembers, and in-flight operations and procedures.
  Third, ramp inspections are not being conducted at airport gate 
facilities. This is not just here in Washington, but nationwide. This 
increases the probability of risks not being identified between 
destination points.
  And fourth, even more frightening is that aviation safety inspectors 
are not on duty to respond in the event of an aircraft accident. How 
tragic this is.
  But the second one even touched me more. Maybe not more, but 
certainly equally as much. This is about a young lieutenant at a local 
Los Angeles County police department who has worked for the past 2 
years to be accepted into the prestigious FBI National Academy. This 
11-week program, which is paid completely without Federal funds, was a 
once in a lifetime opportunity for him to pursue his dreams and 
contribute to the safety of our country.
  The government shutdown Tuesday, however, crushed his dreams because 
this 11-week program began on Monday. All he wants to do is to go to 
his classes, but he can't, because there are no instructors. They have 
been furloughed. This program has 212 of the brightest and most 
dedicated law enforcement officers from 24 countries and 48 states. If 
the government does not quickly reopen, they must go home, every single 
one of them.
  Mr. Speaker, do not send these people home. We are witnessing 
political brinksmanship in its purest form. The American people have no 
time for these games. And I did not come here to participate in 
unnecessary political brinksmanship. I came to provide solutions and 
resolve problems. Instead of pitting Americans against Americans using 
this piecemeal approach that my colleagues across the aisle have 
decided to do to keep the government open, I urge my colleagues across 
the aisle to declare victory, use their own budget numbers, and vote 
for a clean CR that will last until mid-November. Don't hold our 
government hostage any longer.

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