[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5963]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FAA FLIGHT DELAYS

  (Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Having served in the city of Indianapolis 
city government, as well as working for the Federal Government as a 
United States Attorney and serving my citizens, that's what I thought 
Federal Government, city governments, and local governments were 
supposed to do--and State governments. And I've worked at a State 
higher ed institution. That's what public institutions are supposed to 
do. They are supposed to serve, and they are supposed to serve 
citizens.
  Many of us travel by air frequently, and we're grateful with the 
relative ease which air travel allows us to visit, whether it's distant 
loved ones or travel to conduct business.
  Government is vitally important in the service to citizens in air 
travel. But once again, the Federal Aviation Administration is finding 
it more important to play politics with air travel and air service than 
to serve the citizens, which is what government is supposed to do.
  The FAA has decided to implement President Obama's sequester by 
furloughing employees, like their air traffic controllers--vitally 
important to the service and safety of our country--and causing delays 
in up to 40 percent of U.S. flights.
  This isn't the only way the FAA could save money. There are many 
other ways the FAA could save money, and they were provided the 
flexibility to save that money. But instead, in 2010 alone, the FAA 
spent $8 million on employee conferences. There are many ways they are 
not serving us.

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