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Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

Senate, House Recess for Five Weeks, Leaving FAA in Limbo

Author:     FELICIA SONMEZ
Source:     The Washington Post
Publication Date:     07:54 PM ET, 08/02/2011
 Link: Senate, House Recess for Five Weeks, Leaving FAA in Limbo
Stephan:   This is all happening because the Right wants to eliminate unions in the railroad and airline industries. As a result of this utterly callous and cynical action thousands of men and women are going to be furloughed or, if they work for any of the contractors hired to improve our airports, just plain let go. And the Congress went on vacation for a month. This is the naked truth that is destroying the quality of all our lives.

The House and Senate began a five-week recess on Tuesday without resolving a funding stalemate at the Federal Aviation Administration, leaving 4,000 agency employees and 80,000 contractors high and dry.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) announced shortly before 7 p.m. that the chamber was in recess until Sept. 6. The House, which wrapped up its legislative business on Monday, will not be in session again until Sept. 7.

The impasse is over a proposal by House Republicans to cut funding for a program for airports in several rural areas. Also at issue is a longer-term FAA reauthorization bill containing provisions restricting airline workers’ collective bargaining rights.

Earlier Tuesday, Reid had told reporters that absent a resolution, Senate Democrats might be willing to consider the House Republicans’ version of the FAA reauthorization bill.

‘As we learned with this big (debt-limit) deal we’ve just done, sometimes you have to step back and find out what’s best for the country and not be bound by some of your own personal issues,

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