||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN |||
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released the following statement after the Trump administration announced that it will cancel thousands of flights:
“The women and men who climb into air traffic control towers to keep the flying public safe had their jobs become even more stressful last week when they missed their first full paycheck.
“Now, shutting down parts of our National Airspace System (NAS) is a dramatic and unprecedented step that demands more transparency.
“The FAA must immediately share any safety risk assessment and related data that this decision is predicated on with Congress. If we want to resolve issues in the NAS, let us fix health care, open government and pay air traffic controllers.”
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Mr. Larsen, I’m very concerned about this ill advised comment. The shutdown is unprecedented which demands that managing Air Traffic Controllers be done thoughtfully, in advance of losing lives due to an airline accident.
Please do not vilify the integrity of safety. We Washingtonians (see Boeing) know what happens when you take your eye off of proactively managing safety.
Air travel safety is too important for you to insinuate that this DoT decision is a political move.
Please urge Washington State Senators to vote yes on the bi-partisan update to the clean CR, and end this USG shutdown!
“Of course there will be families that are going to suffer, but it is one of the few leverage items we have”
– Minority Whip Katherine Clark
From the horse’s (donkey’s) mouth.