Courtney statement on Congressional action to stop FAA furloughs | Congressman Joe Courtney
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Courtney statement on Congressional action to stop FAA furloughs

April 26, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Joe Courtney today released the following statement after he and the House of Representatives voted to shift Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds to prevent the furlough of air traffic controllers:

"Preventing the furlough of air traffic controllers will save travelers and families time and money, and it will ensure that our skies remain safe. However, as the Navy and Marine Corps testified at the House Readiness Subcommittee today, sequestration still is causing significant harm to military readiness at a time when threats in Syria, North Korea and the Persian Gulf are posing increased risk.

"This is in addition to kicking kids out of Head Start, cutting unemployment insurance and curtailing Meals on Wheels for seniors. Piecemeal fixes are not enough to stop the harm of this mechanism, which was never meant to be a policy unto itself. Today's action puts in stark relief the need to comprehensively defuse sequester with a balanced approach to deficit reduction once and for all."