Chairs DeFazio, Larsen Statements on Southwest Airlines Safety Oversight Report

Washington, D.C. — Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) issued the following statements regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General report on FAA’s safety oversight of Southwest Airlines.

“The Inspector General’s report not only paints a disturbing picture of the safety culture at Southwest Airlines, but it also raises serious questions about the FAA’s ability to properly oversee an airline into which millions of people put their trust each time they step onboard. Safety must always be the priority for anyone involved in our civil aviation system. While I’m encouraged the FAA plans to adopt all eleven of the IG’s recommendations, as the Chair of the Committee with jurisdiction over the FAA, I will be following this matter closely to ensure FAA makes the necessary changes as soon as possible and ensures the highest measure of safety at every level. The flying public deserves nothing less,” said Chair DeFazio.

“The Inspector General’s report makes clear Southwest Airlines and the FAA failed to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” said Chair Larsen. “While I commend the FAA for agreeing to adopt the IG’s 11 safety recommendations, I am concerned about FAA’s lack of oversight of Southwest’s operations and a persisting culture of unsafe practices at Southwest Airlines. The safety of the more than 4.5 billion people who travel by air each year must remain the top priority of the aviation industry, the administration and Congress.”

Chair DeFazio Responds to President Trump’s State of the Union Address

Washington, D.C. —
Chair
of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter
DeFazio (D-OR) released the following statement in response to President
Donald Trump’s State of
the Union address:

“Tonight,
President Trump spent a great deal of time talking up the strength of
the U.S. economy. It’s true that CEOs and high-dollars donors,
especially those
hell-bent on gutting environmental protections, are doing better than
ever under this administration. But President Trump barely mentioned the
need to invest in our communities and help regular Americans by
rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
That is incredibly disappointing, because the reality is that three
years into his administration, President Trump has yet to put forth a
single new idea that would fix our roads, bridges, ports, airports,
water infrastructure, and transit systems, or show
any leadership on how our country funds significant infrastructure
investment. This is a massive missed opportunity.

“Fortunately, House Democrats aren’t waiting on President Trump to move forward and work on behalf of
all Americans. Last week, I stood with my Democratic colleagues
to unveil our framework for a five-year, $760 billion investment to
address our country’s most urgent infrastructure needs, from tackling
our growing maintenance backlog, to designing safer
streets, to putting the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions and
increasing resiliency. This framework is the launchpad we need to create
millions of jobs while curbing carbon pollution and building smarter
and safer infrastructure that meets the needs of
a 21^st century economy. We need to move forward with bold
action and real investment. What our country doesn’t need is the same
worn-out excuse from this Administration that ‘streamlining’ and cutting
environmental protections is the answer to making
progress on infrastructure.

“To
underscore the danger of cutting critical regulations and putting
polluters ahead of people, my guest to the State of the Union was Joe
Moll with the McKenzie
River Trust in Eugene, Oregon. Joe knows firsthand the perils of
rolling back clean water protections, which is a Trump Administration
gift to industry at the expense of the American people. The fact is
anyone who likes to fish or swim in their local lakes
and streams or who wants clean drinking water should be alarmed by this
Administration's priorities.

“While
I am disappointed the President said just one sentence about our
nation’s transportation infrastructure, my Committee will continue to
draft comprehensive
legislation to improve the lives of everyday Americans, while bringing
our nation's infrastructure into a state of good repair and ensuring the
projects we undertake are smarter, safer, and made to last.”