Washington, D.C.– Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) issued the following statement regarding the Senate Democrat leadership’s inaction on House-passed FAA legislation.

“Washington needs to be in the business of creating and protecting jobs not destroying them,” Congresswoman Jenkins said.  “However, Harry Reid’s inaction on the House-passed FAA bill has resulted in thousands of hard working Americans losing their jobs and losing their paychecks.  Once again the House of Representatives has taken up the mantle of leadership and passed a bill that offered a solution to this problem, but the Democrat establishment in Washington continues to dither while Americans suffer. I urge Majority Leader Reid to reconvene the Senate and fulfill their obligation to the American people by passing this important FAA legislation and sending it to the President for his signature.”

BACKGROUND:

• On July 20, the House of Representatives, with the support of Congresswoman Jenkins and all the other Kansas House members, passed H.R. 2553, the Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, as a short term extension of funding to the FAA while the long term FAA reauthorization is negotiated. 
• H.R. 2553 was the fourth short-term extension of FAA this year and the twentieth such extension since the expiration of the full FAA Authorization in the fall of 2007. 
• Since passing the House on July 20^th, the Senate has taken no action on the FAA funding bill and as a result the FAA has been forced to furlough over 4,000 employees and thousands of construction workers have been laid off.

###