FAA to Partially Shutter, As Congress Fails to Agree on Stopgap Funding Measure

[cal04]

Source: National Journal

The Federal Aviation Administration will shut down partially, starting at midnight on Friday, after lawmakers failed to reach a last-minute agreement on a stopgap funding measure for the agency.

Air traffic control systems will remain in operation, and employees doing those jobs will be fully paid. Until Congress acts, the FAA will be unable to collect federal taxes on airline tickets, and it will be forced to furlough 4,000 federal workers, including almost 1,000 in Washington. Democrats say another 87,000 jobs could be put in danger because private sector construction workers will be forced to walk off of airport improvement jobs.

The stopgap bill under consideration would be the 21st such extension since the FAA authorization expired in 2007. House Republicans included provisions in the stopgap to cut airport subsidies in some areas, including those of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. The stopgap bill passed the House Wednesday over the objections of Democrats in both chambers.

The standoff began as a dispute between House Republicans and the Democrats over rural airport subsidies, but it has since grown into a broader blame game about who is responsible for failing to reauthorize funding for the FAA over the long term.

Read more: http://nationaljournal.com/congress/faa-to-partially-shutter-as-congress-fails-to-agree-on-stopgap-funding-measure-20110722

[quakerboy]

1. Is it time to scrap

the whole system and start over yet? It sure looks awful broken from this angle.

[santamargarita]

2. The goddamn Teabaggers are more interested in Union Busting

Bernie Sanders for President!

[Plucketeer]

3. It's amazing to me!

The stupid Tea Baggers can't muster enough folks for a rally, and yet they've got the GOP anethstetized. My frevent hope is that this whole debacle crashes the GOP beyond revival. :grr:

[Omaha Steve]

4. Safety over the US went out the window just because R's don't want the workers to unionize!

K&R.

It's not "fly the friendly skies" anymore.

[eilen]

5. Can we fire Congress? Since 2007? Really? nt

[trud]

6. temporarily no groping?

Or is the TSA still being paid?

[johnd83]

7. Way to go, shut down 10% of the economy

Idiots. And yes, the FAA is really important to safe flights.

[buckrogers1965]

8. But they are still going to fly?

With no oversight? Seriously?

Time to stop taking flights.