[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5945]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE SEQUESTER

  (Mr. BUCSHON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I'm here to comment on the administration 
playing politics in an attempt to maximize the impact of his sequester 
on the American people and, in this case, the aviation system and the 
traveling public.
  The FAA's operating budget has grown by nearly 110 percent, more than 
double in the last 17 years, as domestic flights are down 27 percent. 
The FAA's share of the sequester represents $600 million of their $16 
billion annual budget, about 5 percent.
  Does anyone out there believe a Federal Government bureaucracy can't 
find this level of savings without affecting the American people? Well, 
I don't.
  Rather than furloughing air traffic controllers to make a political 
point, the FAA should cut wasteful and unnecessary spending.
  Mr. Speaker, these cuts should not significantly impact the aviation 
system, but the administration is failing to show leadership and is 
trying to score political points.

                          ____________________