During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke in support of the FAA Reauthorization Act.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Senator from Texas. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to
00:04speak for up to 15 minutes. Without objection. Mr. President, I ask unanimous
00:08consent that permanent privileges for the floor be granted to the following
00:12members of the Majority and Minority Commerce Committee staffs throughout the
00:15duration of calendar number 211 HR 3935. William McKenna, Duncan Rankin, Simone
00:23Perez, Rachel Devine, Alexander Simpson, Gabrielle Slice. Without objection.
00:31Mr. President, I rise today in strong support for the FAA Reauthorization Act
00:38of 2024. This bill, negotiated by Chair Cantwell and myself with the leadership
00:44of the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Science Committees, is
00:49a bicameral and a bipartisan accomplishment. It is the culmination of
00:54many months of work between us and our staffs and is reflective of the
00:59priorities of a great many senators. On the Republican side alone, more than 200
01:07member priorities were included. I'm especially proud of the numerous
01:12provisions that make for a safer and more convenient travel experience for
01:17Texans and for consumers across the nation. And the provisions that will help
01:23grow Texas's thriving aerospace sector. It will make significant strides in
01:30aviation safety, the primary mission of the FAA, and something I know that all of
01:36us care deeply about. It will provide a clear path forward to integrate new
01:43advanced aviation technologies and will make it easier for flyers to get upfront
01:49information on ticket prices. A flurry of near misses at our nation's airports,
01:55multiple concerning maintenance reports of United Airlines flights, and the
02:01alarming decompression event of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 have together
02:08raised serious concerns with the safety of our airspace. Aviation safety has been
02:15and will continue to be one of the very top priorities of the Senate Commerce
02:19Committee. When the people of Texas board a flight, they expect their flight and
02:26their families to be safe. As a result, I'm proud to say that our bill includes
02:32numerous crucial safety provisions, such as requiring 25-hour cockpit voice
02:39recorders in all commercial aircraft. This safety upgrade will allow the
02:45National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA to have access to vital
02:50information needed during accident investigations. This became abundantly
02:56clear after the cockpit voice recorder in the Alaska Airlines flight was lost
03:03because of an outdated two-hour requirement. That's unacceptable and it
03:08should never happen again. With this bill, it will not happen again. In response to
03:14recent runway surface incidents, this bill establishes a zero-tolerance runway
03:21safety policy. It prioritizes projects that improve surface surveillance. It
03:27establishes a runway safety council, and it requires a timeline and an action
03:33plan to actually get better runway and tarmac incursion technologies installed
03:40at airports that need them. Air traffic controller shortages have plagued
03:45airports across the country, including in my home state of Texas, putting
03:50traveler safety at risk. This legislation aims to relieve the strain
03:56on air traffic control by directing the FAA to hire the maximum number of air
04:02traffic controllers, hopefully aiding the many facilities that have been
04:06understaffed for far too long. At a time when aircraft safety seems to be in the
04:13news every other day, our bipartisan bill makes important upgrades to safety
04:19reporting. Commercial aviation has improved in the last several decades, in
04:24part because the FAA and industry have tracked trends in safety to respond in a
04:31proactive manner to safety concerns, instead of waiting until after a fatal
04:36accident has occurred. Furthermore, this bill recognizes the important role that
04:42whistleblowers play and includes protections for those reporting safety
04:48concerns. This bill also makes transformative investments in airports
04:53across our country by making updates to the formula used to disperse grants for
04:59airport infrastructure projects. As a result, all airports across the country
05:05will be able to rehab their runways or acquire critical safety technologies. I'm
05:11also pleased that the bill makes it easier to obtain permits for airport
05:16construction projects. This bill is good for airports large and small across the
05:23nation. This bill does not ignore the fact that sometimes airlines screw up
05:28and leave consumers hanging. One provision provides that parents in the
05:36chamber should be really happy about is the requirement for airlines to ensure
05:42that families are able to sit together. This just makes sense and will help make
05:48the traveling with young children just a little bit easier. I'm also pleased that
05:54there is a requirement that customers who need customer service will now be
05:58guaranteed that they can talk to a human representative, an actual human being,
06:0324-7. Finally, this bill makes important improvements for travelers with
06:10disabilities, including requiring training for employees who handle
06:15wheelchairs, and it requires the DOT to actually respond to complaints submitted
06:20by aggrieved passengers. I know there's been a lot of attention paid to the
06:26additional five roundtrip flights at DCA added by this bipartisan bill. Reagan
06:32National is the only airport in the country that Congress has decreed that a
06:37plane may travel no further than 1,250 miles from when landing or taking off
06:43from. It is absurd and it is unfair to millions of flyers who are forced to
06:49pay higher prices because of this rule. It's been over a decade since Congress
06:55has expanded access to DCA and the inclusion of five roundtrip flights is a
07:01modest proposal that will bring down consumer prices for flyers in the DC
07:06region and from Western states. This modest increase will not result in
07:13negative impacts or delays, nor will it result in loss of flights for anyone who
07:19currently receives service. I repeat, it will not result in loss of flights for
07:26any route that currently receives service. Despite the threats and the
07:34fear-mongering from the army of United Airlines lobbyists who are actively
07:39working to protect their dullest monopoly, by my count of United's
07:45threatened service cuts, these five roundtrip flights will leave United to
07:50cancel air service to more than half the states in the Union. Don't believe the
07:56propaganda. And I have to say it's not in the interest of any senator to support a
08:02policy that reduces competition, enhances monopoly products for one
08:08airline, United Airlines, and drives up the prices not only for the residents of
08:13Virginia and DC and Maryland, but for the residents of all 50 states who come to
08:18our nation's capital. In contrast, this modest addition of service will allow
08:26for further competition between the airlines that serve DCA. Competition is
08:32good for consumers and it's good for lowering prices. This change will also
08:38provide the ability for there to be a direct flight from San Antonio to DC
08:45Reagan, delivering a more convenient travel experience for members of the
08:49military, traveling from Joint Base San Antonio to the Pentagon to Arlington
08:54Cemetery to our nation's capital, and also for business travelers and tourists
09:00in San Antonio. I also want to talk about the benefits this bill has for new
09:06aerospace technologies. Our bill helps the FAA both modernize and transform its
09:12operations and handling of new entrants like drones and air taxis, a provision
09:20that will increase productivity and spur economic activity. Importantly, this
09:25reauthorization includes measures to eliminate inefficiencies plaguing the
09:30next-gen office. This legislation also directs the FAA to complete the beyond
09:37visual line-of-sight rulemaking, which will expand drone delivery and other
09:42drone operations across the country and especially in my home state of Texas. I'm
09:48also proud of the reforms aimed at better integrating commercial space
09:53activities into the national aerospace system. Assisting launch providers in
09:59navigating complicated airspace will be a boost for Texas's thriving commercial
10:05space industry. To carry out all of these ambitious goals, the FAA needs a
10:12workforce that has the technical expertise to conduct effective
10:16oversight of manufacturers and airlines, as well as technical experts
10:22who can help in the certification of these new and novel technologies. This
10:28was a major focus of our efforts. For example, in an effort to boost the
10:33aviation workforce and provide more opportunities for America's veterans,
10:38this legislation makes it easier for military service members to transition
10:45to civil aviation careers. This comprehensive and bipartisan bill bolsters
10:52the FAA at a time when the agency needs support. The aviation system is more
10:58strained than ever. Millions of Americans travel every single day. Millions of
11:05Americans depend on this sector to earn their livelihood. The U.S. aviation
11:11sector is the gold standard of safety, and I'm proud of the improvements and
11:16reforms made in this bill, and I look forward to working with colleagues on
11:21both sides of the aisle to advance this bill to final passage. Thank you, and I
11:27yield the floor.