By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A battle in Washington, D.C. is holding up reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.
But this isn’t the normal partisan battle. This one is between two airlines: Delta and American. Delta wants to lift restrictions on flights out of Reagan Airport in D.C. while American wants to keep restrictions in place to protect its hub at Dulles Airport in D.C.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair, northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves, says the FAA bill won unanimous approval in committee and passed on a 351-to-69 vote in the House.
“The Senate continues to struggle,” Graves tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. “They can’t even get a bill out of committee over there and hopefully they’ll just take up ours. But, it’s part of the reauthorization process which we have to go through every four to five years to reauthorize these agencies and programs within the Department of Transportation.”
Graves, a Republican, says the turf war between Delta and American could well jeopardize the FAA reauthorization bill.
“In the Senate, it’s certainly possible,” Graves says. “It’s a battle. Again, it’s a turf battle between those two airlines. This is a bill, though, that has to pass. If we don’t reauthorize the FAA, then all the programs fall apart.”
Graves says the FAA bill has been highjacked by the fight between Delta and American with lawmakers choosing sides; sides not based on political party. He says it must be resolved.
“We have to get this finished and the deadline is September 30th,” Graves says. “It’s ticking by on the Senate. The House has done its work. Now we’re waiting on the Senate.”
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