Congressional squabbling hurts FAA

(CBS News) 

The number of people laid off this week because of the congressional wrangling over fiscal issues keeps growing. As we've been reporting, the Federal Aviation Administration has been forced into partial shutdown by the argument. CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson has an update.

A $31 million air traffic control tower at Oakland International Airport has been halted in mid-construction, idling workers like Greg Talmage.

And at FAA headquarters, there are empty offices of nearly 1,000 furloughed workers.

It's all because Congress can't agree on a new $16 billion a year funding bill for the FAA. The old one expired Friday.

That hits every big weak spot in the economy. Around 70,000 construction workers and nearly 3,500 FAA employees have been furloughed. About 150 airport construction projects have been stalled. And $200 million per week in ticket taxes are lost because the FAA has no authority to collect them.

There are two main sticking points. Democrats want to make it easier for airline and railroad workers to unionize; Republicans don't.

And Republicans want cuts in so-called "essential air service." That program pays $163 million in federal subsidies for airlines to fly on little-used routes that might otherwise shut down.

In a CBS News investigation, we took one government subsidized flight from Washington to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. We found just four passengers on board and the plane went on to West Virginia empty.

Today, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urged Congress to solve their disputes.

"And for all of my friends on Capitol Hill who give speeches every day about jobs, the importance of jobs, putting people to work -- this is not the time to be laying off 70,000 construction workers," said LaHood.

All this doesn't affect air traffic controllers, flights or safety. But it foreshadows choices other government agencies may have to make if Congress can't solve the debt and deficit.

[misands]

The FAA is just more government spending that needs to stop. I say quit stealing from me to support big government programs like this! Go tea-party, go!!

[you_MAY_be_right]

So you tea baggers want to get rid of the FAA completely?

No more air traffic control?

Probably workout well until your spouse is killed in some form of collision and you want to sue someone.

[pst642]

well my dad just got his job stolen by idiots like you. He has worked for the FAA for almost 30 years. He has worked hard and provided for an entire family. And I'm pretty sure he has worked harder than you, and all of the other ignorant tea party members who THINK they have a voice, but in reality they are so small minded they cannot fathom in any way possible how a government actually functions.

The tea party will be dead soon enough when the GOP turns on them. You only like the illusion of being politically active. You talk about the constitution and the framers, but in reality your high school degree that you BARLEY obtained hardly touched on these ideas. You are jingoists. You are ignorant. You are dumb. You are a damage to this nation. You are the tea party. And you will soon be forgotten.

[bmallen3]

unions have no place in government. The issue is that in a company environment, the negotiators are at the table so when the union deal is agreed, the company pays. In the government, the politicians negotiate with the union, but the taxpayers get the bills. Politicians give the union whatever it wants to buy votes and campaign contributions, then the taxpayers are stuck with the corruption yet they had no seat at the bargaining table. The union contributions go to those politicians who give them want they want. Corruption everywhere.

[RespectOthersAlways]

Imagine this: You are Congressman Williams from Florida. You run for office against a Mr. Phillips. There are 400,000 registered voters in your district. In the last election, 300,000 registered voters voted. 100,000 registered voters chose not vote.

The election was held and here are the results: Mr. Williams received 175,000 votes. Mr. Phillips received 125,000 votes.

Who do you think won the election? If you said Mr. Williams you will be right. But according to the logic of Congressman Mica and Senator Orin Hatch you are wrong. Mr. Phillips won because Mr. Phillips got 125,000 votes plus the "votes" of the 100,000 people who chose not to cast their ballots.

According to Congressman Mica, Senator Hatch and the new Tea Party extremists, when it comes to the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, workers who chose not to vote in an election must be counted as voting against the union!!! This is the extent to which Mica, Hatch, Boehner, Cantor and the Republican Party will go to subvert core democratic principles. They truly believe that those who chose not to vote should be counted as NO votes.

Because of this travesty, 4,000 FAA employees have been laid off. Airports serving rural communities have been shut down. 70,000 transportation related construction jobs are at stake! The Republican Party is determined to hold up FAA funding until Democrats agree to count uncast ballots as NO votes.

Here comes the hard part: What do you think? Be honest. Forget about political parties for a minute and just THINK! Even if you don't like unions, do you believe this is how election results should be interpreted in our good old USA?

President Obama, Congresswoman Pelosi and Democrats in the House and Senate should be commended for opposing this Republican Tea Party nonsense.

But where, we must ask, is John McCain, Jon Kyle, DeMint, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Jon Huntsman, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain, and all the fearless Republican patriots and champions of democracy? Their silence is deafening!!

[bmallen3]

your example is wrong. In Congress, when they vote to pass a law it takes a majority but if you can't get the votes because people refuse to vote, it doesn't pass. The real problem is intimidation by unions and reprisals against those who do not see any need for a union.These are government employees and should never be allowed to form unions. The salaries are set by law, they have fabulous benefits but more importantly, the people who would have to pay the bills are never allowed at the negotiating tables. Taxpayers just get the bills but never the chance to bargain.

[reality_sanity]

by bmallen3 July 29, 2011 7:41 AM EDT
your example is wrong. In Congress, when they vote to pass a law it takes a majority but if you can't get the votes because people refuse to vote, it doesn't pass.

----

You just confirmed RespectOthersAlways's comments -- thanks for the support even though you may never comprehend why your comments disprove your own assertion.

Actually the number necessary to pass a bill in congress does change when someone is out on medical leave and the like.

[RAS08]

What a title?! What about Democrat spending hurst the nation!

[reality_sanity]

Try reading the article not renewing the airline tax that payed for the FAA support of airline operations has resulted in a suspension of "non-critical" services by the FAA including the training of Air Traffic Controllers that keep airliners protected during their travel. What happened to that suspended tax -- many airlines uped their airfares and are adding the expired tax to their corporate profits -- no savings to many consumers. Yet another corporate bailout provided by the Republicans to BIG BUSINESS.

[ahrats]

Is it Johm Bohner or BONEHEAD. America wake-up this present congress is run by idiots, they can not multi-task even when Democrats had control of both houses of congress, Pelosi/Reed could not do more then one thing at a time now its Bohner/Reed and they are just as bad. I do not think the people can wait till 2012 to get rid of the imcompetance of the congress. To loose 30 million a day in TAXES because REPUBILCANS (TEA PARTY IN PITICULAR) do not want to finance small market airports routes. I Guess these IDIOTS want every one to drive their GAS gusselling cars instead and take several hours to do so. The oil companies and insurace companies can make more money. Demand on GAS goes up so does the price and more people are driving so there are more accidents.

[bradkt1]

As an FAA retiree, I am so glad that I don't have to deal with this political BS anymore. The Republicans are holding up the FAA's funding over an issue that has nothing to do with aviation. This is going to drive up the costs of construction projects all over the country because contractors will have to demobilize (and be paid for doing so) and then re-mobilize (and be paid for doing so). These are totally unnecessary expenses that will costs hundreds of thousands...if not millions of dollars...all over the country. The FAA has the biggest construction budget of all civillian agencies and is second only to DOD. There are dozens of major construction jobs all over the country. Several FAA projects are co-funded by DOD...and they can't go forward because the FAA doesn't have the money.

The there are also the thousands pf FAA employees who are laid off right now. They don't deserve this.

This is so stupid!

This is about trying to advance the anti-union agenda of the conservative right wing...and nothing more.

[RAS08]

So?

[reality_sanity]

Running up the debt and putting people out of work -- the TEA PARTY REPUBLICAN plan being practiced as the federal, state and local level. How long before the TEA PARTY REPUBLICANS attack your business / employer threatening your job. Now long before the cessation of training of ATC's will result in the limitations of flights due to the lack of Air Traffic Controllers to handle them in transit damaging yet more businesses?

[DocD--2008]

Simply put Congress and all their staff should not get paid until they do their jobs. Tie their pay to their work, no work, no pay, no work no longer in office, just like the rest of us.

[reality_sanity]

Not to mention the risks involved in no longer training Air Traffic Controllers.

[Jhihmoac]

Glad I'm not flying anywhere right now...

[tsigili]

That's just fine. Tell people to stop flying and stay home, or use an alternative method of transportation.

[catmomtx]

Are you people for real? I mean talk about moving backwards!!