Skift Take
The threat of a nation full of angry, delayed flyers should push Congress and the Obama administration towards a solution beforehand, but there will likely be pain before a compromise is reached.
White House officials brought Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to its briefing room present dire warnings about how cuts from the 2011 Budget Control Act will affect transportation across the United States.
“These are harmful cuts with real-world consequences that will cost jobs and hurt our economy,” LaHood said in a press conference earlier today.
The cuts, which are are known as sequestration, go into effect at the beginning of March if Congress and the White House fail to come to an agreement.
The DOT’s budget will be cut by $1.2 billion for the rest of fiscal 2013, which ends in September. The department has already announced $600 million in proposed cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration, which may include:
- Furloughing up to 47,000 employees for one day per pay period
- Closing over 100 air traffic control facilities (see chart below)
- Eliminating the overnight shift at over 60 facilities
- Reducing preventive maintenance and support for all air traffic control equipment.
Changes will be determined by negotiations with municipalities where facilities are located and discussions with labor unions.
Closure of air traffic control stations touches military, commercial, and passenger flights in the U.S. In addition to closed stations, the DOT will cut hours at towers that remain open, resulting in fewer controllers on site. When this happens, controllers space out the intervals between flights to ensure safety. This translates into fewer planes being able to take off and land per day.
According to DOT estimates, airports in major markets like Chicago, New York, and Atlanta will see 90-minute delays during peak hours.
The DOT has over 55,000 employees, of which the majority work at the Federal Aviation Administration, and air traffic controllers make up the largest group of FAA employees.
LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Illinois chided lawmakers from his own party for not working with their Democratic colleagues.
“They’re hoping that maybe I can influence some of the people in my own party,” LaHood said of his appearance today at the White House.
LaHood suggested that the lawmakers watch the movie Lincoln to put the current matter in perspective and get a lesson in how hard it is to negotiate matters that are actually difficult. “This is not rocket science,” LaHood said, referring to the budget talks.
After the appearance, LaHood took to Twitter and his Fast Lane blog to argue his case further.
Sequestration will have an impact on air travel; @FAAnews plans for $600 m in cuts http://t.co/dOshhAiKyJ #aviation
— Anthony Foxx (@SecretaryFoxx) February 22, 2013
Clip of LaHood’s press conference:
Air Traffic Control Facilities That Could be Closed
Facility | Name | City | State |
---|---|---|---|
BFM | Mobile Downtown | Mobile | AL |
DHN | Dothan Regional | Dothan | AL |
TCL | Tuscaloosa Regional | Tuscaloosa | AL |
ASG | Springdale Municipal | Springdale | AR |
FSM | Fort Smith Tower Fort | Smith | AR |
FYV | Drake Field | Fayetteville | AR |
ROG | Rogers Municipal-Carter Field | Rogers | AR |
TXK | Texarkana Regional-Webb Field | Texarkana | AR |
GEU | Glendale Municipal | Glendale | AZ |
GYR | Phoenix Goodyear | Goodyear | AZ |
IFP | Laughlin/Bullhead International Bullhead | City | AZ |
RYN | Ryan Field | Tucson | AZ |
APC | Napa Tower | Napa | CA |
CCR | Concord Tower | Concord | CA |
CMA | Camarillo Tower | Camarillo | CA |
EMT | El Monte Tower El | Monte | CA |
FUL | Fullerton Municipal | Fullerton | CA |
HHR | Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne Municipal | Hawthorne | CA |
LVK | Livermore Tower | Livermore | CA |
MER | Castle | Atwater | CA |
OXR | Oxnard | Oxnard | CA |
PMD | Palmdale Regional/USAF Plant 42 | Palmdale | CA |
POC | Brackett Tower La | Verne | CA |
RAL | Riverside Municipal | Riverside | CA |
RNM | Ramona | Ramona | CA |
SAC | Sacramento Executive | Sacramento | CA |
SCK | Stockton Tower | Stockton | CA |
SDM | Brown Field Municipal San | Diego | CA |
SMO | Santa Monica Tower Santa | Monica | CA |
SNS | Salinas Municipal | Salinas | CA |
SQL | San Carlos San | Carlos | CA |
STS | Charles M. Schultz-Sonoma County Santa | Rosa | CA |
VCV | Southern California Logistics | Victorville | CA |
WHP | Whiteman Los | Angeles | CA |
WJF | General William J. Fox Airfield | Lancaster | CA |
BJC | Broomfield Tower Westminster CO FTG Front Range | Denver | CO |
BDR | Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial | Bridgeport | CT |
DXR | Danbury Municipal | Danbury | CT |
GON | Groton-New London | New London | CT |
HFD | Hartford-Brainard | Hartford | CT |
HVN | Tweed-New Haven New | Haven | CT |
OXC | Waterbury-Oxford | Oxford | CT |
ILG | Wilmington Tower New | Castle | DE |
APF | Naples Municipal | Naples | FL |
BCT | Boca Raton Boca | Raton | FL |
CRG | Craig Municipal | Jacksonville | FL |
EVB | New Smyrna Beach Municipal New Smyrna | Beach | FL |
FMY | Page Field Fort | Myers | FL |
FPR | St. Lucie County International Fort | Pierce | FL |
HWO | North Perry | Hollywood | FL |
ISM | Kissimmee Gateway | Orlando | FL |
LAL | Lakeland Linder Regional | Lakeland | FL |
LEE | Leesburg International | Leesburg | FL |
OCF | Ocala International-Jim Taylor Field | Ocala | FL |
OMN | Ormond Beach Municipal Ormond | Beach | FL |
OPF | Opa-Locka Executive | Miami | FL |
ORL | Orlando Executive | Orlando | FL |
PGD | Punta Gorda Punta | Gorda | FL |
SGJ | Northeast Florida Regional St. | Augustine | FL |
SPG | Albert Whitted St. | Petersburg | FL |
SUA | Witham Field | Stuart | FL |
TIX | Space Coast Regional | Titusville | FL |
VQQ | Cecil | Jacksonville | FL |
ABY | Southwest Georgia Regional | Albany | GA |
AHN | Athens-Ben Epps | Athens | GA |
CSG | Columbus Metropolitan | Columbus | GA |
FTY | Fulton County-Brown Field | Atlanta | GA |
LZU | Gwinnett County-Briscoe Field | Lawrenceville | GA |
MCN | Middle Georgia Regional | Macon | GA |
RYY | Cobb County-McCollum Field | Atlanta | GA |
JRF | Kalaeloa (John Rodgers Field) | Kapolei | HI |
ALO | Waterloo Tower | Waterloo | IA |
DBQ | Dubuque Regional | Dubuque | IA |
SUX | Sioux Gateway Sioux | City | IA |
IDA | Idaho Falls Regional Idaho | Falls | ID |
LWS | Lewiston-Nez Perce County Lewiston ID PIH Pocatello Regional | Pocatello | ID |
SUN | Friedman Memorial | Hailey | ID |
TWF | Joslin Field-Magic Valley Regional Twin | Falls | ID |
ALN | St. Louis Regional Alton/St. | Louis | IL |
ARR | Aurora Tower Sugar | Grove | IL |
BMI | Central Illinois Regional at Bloomington-Normal | Bloomington-Normal | IL |
DEC | Decatur | Decatur | IL |
DPA | Dupage West | Chicago | IL |
MDH | Southern Illinois Carbondale | Carbondale | IL |
MWA | Williamson County Regional | Marion | IL |
SPI | Springfield Tower | Springfield | IL |
UGN | Waukegan Regional | Waukegan | IL |
BAK | Columbus Municipal | Columbus | IN |
BMG | Monroe County | Bloomington | IN |
GYY | Gary/Chicago International | Gary | IN |
HUF | Terre Haute International-Hulman Field Terra | Haute | IN |
LAF | Lafayette Tower West | Lafayette | IN |
MIE | Delaware County Regional | Muncie | IN |
FOE | Forbes Field | Topeka | KS |
GCK | Garden City Regional Garden | City | KS |
HUT | Hutchinson Municipal | Hutchinson | KS |
IXD | New Century AirCenter | Olathe | KS |
MHK | Manhattan Regional | Manhattan | KS |
OJC | Johnson County Executive | Olathe | KS |
TOP | Philip Billard Municipal | Topeka | KS |
LOU | Bowman Tower | Louisville | KY |
OWB | Owensboro-Daviess County | Owensboro | KY |
PAH | Barkley Regional | Paducah | KY |
CWF | Chennault International Lake | Charles | LA |
DTN | Shreveport Downtown | Shreveport | LA |
LCH | Lake Charles Regional Lake | Charles | LA |
MLU | Monroe Regional | Monroe | LA |
NEW | Lakefront New | Orleans | LA |
BAF | Barnes Municipal | Springfield | MA |
BVY | Beverly Municipal | Beverly | MA |
EWB | New Bedford Regional New | Bedford | MA |
LWM | Lawrence Municipal | Lawrence | MA |
ORH | Worcester Regional | Worcester | MA |
OWD | Norwood Memorial | Norwood | MA |
ESN | Easton/Newnam Field | Easton | MD |
FDK | Frederick Municipal | Frederick | MD |
HGR | Hagerstown Regional-Richard A. Henson Field | Hagerstown | MD |
MTN | Martin State | Baltimore | MD |
SBY | Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional | Salisbury | MD |
ARB | Ann Arbor Municipal Ann | Arbor | MI |
BTL | W.K. Kellogg Battle | Creek | MI |
DET | Coleman A. Young Municipal | Detroit | MI |
JXN | Jackson County-Reynolds Field | Jackson | MI |
MKG | Muskegon County | Muskegon | MI |
SAW | Sawyer International | Marquette | MI |
ANE | Anoka County-Blaine Airport (Janes Field) | Minneapolis | MN |
FCM | Flying Cloud Eden | Prairie | MN |
MIC | Crystal Tower | Crystal | MN |
STC | St. Cloud Regional St. | Cloud | MN |
BBG | Branson | Branson | MO |
COU | Columbia Regional | Columbia | MO |
JEF | Jefferson City Memorial Jefferson | City | MO |
JLN | Joplin Regional | Joplin | MO |
STJ | Rosecrans Memorial St. | Joseph | MO |
GLH | Mid Delta Regional | Greenville | MS |
GTR | Golden Triangle Regional | Columbus | MS |
HKS | Hawkins Field | Jackson | MS |
HSA | Stennis International Bay St. | Louis | MS |
MEI | Key Field | Meridian | MS |
OLV | Olive Branch Olive | Branch | MS |
TUP | Tupelo Regional | Tupelo | MS |
GPI | Glacier Park International | Kalispell | MT |
HLN | Helena Regional | Helena | MT |
EWN | Coastal Carolina Regional New | Bern | NC |
HKY | Hickory Regional | Hickory | NC |
INT | Smith Reynolds Winston | Salem | NC |
ISO | Kinston Regional Jetport at Stallings Field | Kinston | NC |
JQF | Concord Regional | Concord | NC |
GRI | Central Nebraska Regional Grand | Island | NE |
ASH | Boire Field | Nashua | NH |
CDW | Essex County | Fairfield | NJ |
TTN | Trenton Mercer | Trenton | NJ |
AEG | Double Eagle II | Albuquerque | NM |
HOB | Lea County Regional | Hobbs | NM |
ROW | Roswell International Air Center | Roswell | NM |
SAF | Santa Fe Municipal Santa | Fe | NM |
BGM | Binghamton Tower | Johnson City | NY |
FOK | Francis S. Gabreski | Westhampton Beach | NY |
IAG | Niagara Falls International Niagara | Falls | NY |
ITH | Ithaca Tomkins Regional | Ithaca | NY |
POU | Dutchess County Wappingers | Falls | NY |
RME | Griffiss International | Rome | NY |
CGF | Cuyahoga County | Cleveland | OH |
MFD | Mansfield Tower | Mansfield | OH |
OSU | Ohio State University | Columbus | OH |
TZR | Bolton Field | Columbus | OH |
YNG | Youngstown-Warren Regional | Vienna | OH |
ADM | Ardmore Municipal | Ardmore | OK |
LAW | Lawton-Fort Sill Regional | Lawton | OK |
OUN | University of Oklahoma Westheimer | Norman | OK |
PWA | Wiley Post Oklahoma | City | OK |
SWO | Stillwater Regional | Stillwater | OK |
WDG | Enid Wooding Regional | Enid | OK |
LMT | Klamath Falls Klamath | Falls | OR |
OTH | Southwest Oregon Regional North | Bend | OR |
PDT | Eastern Oregon Regional at Pendleton | Pendleton | OR |
SLE | McNary Field | Salem | OR |
TTD | Portland-Troutdale | Portland | OR |
CXY | Capital City | Harrisburg | PA |
IPT | Williamsport Regional | Williamsport | PA |
LBE | Arnold Palmer Regional | Latrobe | PA |
LNS | Lancaster | Lancaster | PA |
PNE | Northeast Philadelphia | Philadelphia | PA |
RDG | Reading Regional-Carl A. Spaatz Field | Reading | PA |
CRE | Grand Strand North Myrtle | Beach | SC |
FLO | Florence Regional | Florence | SC |
GYH | Donaldson Center | Greenville | SC |
HXD | Hilton Head Hilton Head | Island | SC |
MKL | McKellar-Sipes Regional | Jackson | TN |
MQY | Smyrna | Smyrna | TN |
NQA | Millington Regional Jetport | Millington | TN |
ACT | Waco Regional | Waco | TX |
BAZ | New Braunfels Municipal New | Braunfels | TX |
BPT | Jack Brooks Regional | Beaumont | TX |
BRO | Brownsville/South Padre Island International | Brownsville | TX |
CLL | Easterwood Field College | Station | TX |
CNW | TSTC Waco | Waco | TX |
CXO | Lone Star Executive | Houston | TX |
FWS | Fort Worth Spinks | Fort Worth | TX |
GGG | East Texas Regional | Longview | TX |
GKY | Arlington Municipal | Arlington | TX |
GPM | Grand Prairie Municipal Grand | Prairie | TX |
GTU | Georgetown Municipal | Georgetown | TX |
HYI | San Marcos Municipal San | Marcos | TX |
RBD | Dallas Executive | Dallas | TX |
SGR | Sugar Land Regional | Houston | TX |
SSF | Stinson Municipal San | Antonio | TX |
TKI | Collin County Regional at McKinney | Dallas | TX |
TYR | Tyler Pounds Regional | Tyler | TX |
VCT | Victoria Regional | Victoria | TX |
OGD | Ogden-Hinckley | Ogden | UT |
PVU | Provo Municipal | Provo | UT |
HEF | Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field | Manassas | VA |
LYH | Lynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn Field | Lynchburg | VA |
ALW | Walla Walla Regional Walla | Walla | WA |
MWH | Grant County International Moses | Lake | WA |
OLM | Olympia Regional | Olympia | WA |
PAE | Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) | Everett | WA |
RNT | Renton Municipal | Renton | WA |
SFF | Felts Field | Spokane | WA |
TIW | Tacoma Narrows | Tacoma | WA |
YKM | Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field | Yakima | WA |
CWA | Central Wisconsin | Mosinee | WI |
EAU | Chippewa Valley Regional Eau | Claire | WI |
ENW | Kenosha Regional | Kenosha | WI |
JVL | Southern Wisconsin Regional | Janesville | WI |
LSE | La Crosse Municipal La | Crosse | WI |
MWC | Lawrence J. Timmerman | Milwaukie | WI |
OSH | Wittman Regional | Oshkosh | WI |
UES | Waukesha County | Waukesha | WI |
CKB | North Central West Virginia | Bridgeport | WV |
HLG | Wheeling Ohio County | Wheeling | WV |
HTS | Tri-State Milton J. Ferguson Field | Huntington | WV |
LWB | Greenbrier Valley | Lewisburg | WV |
PKB | Mid-Ohio Valley Regional | Parkersburg | WV |
CYS | Cheyenne Regional/Jerry Olson Field | Cheyenne | WY |
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Tags: dot, labor, lahood, politics, sequester
Photo credit: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood speaks at the White House in Washington February 22, 2013. Larry Downing / Reuters