Republicans Decry Sequestration-Related Airport Closures In Their Own Districts

[Cali_Democrat]

Local Airport Closures Cause GOPers Sequestration Anxiety
Brian Beutler March 27, 2013, 6:00 AM

We’ve noted previously that outside Washington D.C. — where politicians and reporters obsess endlessly over inconsequential but high-valence things like White House tours and Easter egg hunts — sequestration is beginning to cause real harm, and political pain.

Now, nearly a month after President Obama was forced to issue the sequestration order, the central source of GOP’s real sequestration anxiety is becoming clear.

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Sequestration generally provides agencies little flexibility to determine what parts of their budgets to cut — agencies with broad missions have to cut every program by the same percentage. But the majority of FAA’s employees are air traffic controllers, and as a result, FAA has identified and announced its intent to close nearly 150 relatively low-volume towers to help meet its $600 million sequestration this fiscal year.

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“I am deeply disappointed with the FAA’s decision to close the air traffic control towers at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport and St. Cloud Regional Airport,” said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). “Throughout this decision-making process, I have been in touch with FAA and DOT officials urging them to focus first on eliminating waste and trimming non-essential items in the FAA’s budget before they even consider shutting down essential safety operations. Today’s decision shows a troubling lack of priorities—closing control towers should be a last, not a first, resort.”

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/03/local-airport-closures-cause-gopers-sequestration-anxiety.php?ref=fpb

Idiots!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. Then there's Goomer the Tumor and Tyler Regional Airport.

I think they have four commercial jet flights a day from Dallas.