Action Alert: Lawmaker Files Amendment to Slash Airport Funding
March 5, 2021
The Senate is currently considering the American Rescue Plan – a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that includes much-needed funding to help airports and concessionaires impacted by the pandemic. We just learned that Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) has filed an amendment to slash funding for airports and concessionaires from $8 billion to $2.64 billion – a 67 percent cut.
Republicans have been arguing that Democrats are using the budget reconciliation process to move a partisan coronavirus relief bill that is too costly and largely unnecessary. Senate Republicans have filed hundreds of amendments in an effort to reduce funding in the bill and strike some of the Democratic priorities.
As a reminder, here's what's at stake in the American Rescue Plan Act for airports:
Request: The Senate is expected to consider amendments today and likely tomorrow in a so-called "vote-a-rama" process. We expect a majority of those amendments will fall on a party-line vote. However, we urge you to reach out to your two Senators and ask them to oppose the amendment proposed by Senator Ron Johnson to cut airport funding.
Talking Points:
The Senate is currently considering the American Rescue Plan – a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that includes much-needed funding to help airports and concessionaires impacted by the pandemic. We just learned that Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) has filed an amendment to slash funding for airports and concessionaires from $8 billion to $2.64 billion – a 67 percent cut.
Republicans have been arguing that Democrats are using the budget reconciliation process to move a partisan coronavirus relief bill that is too costly and largely unnecessary. Senate Republicans have filed hundreds of amendments in an effort to reduce funding in the bill and strike some of the Democratic priorities.
As a reminder, here's what's at stake in the American Rescue Plan Act for airports:
- Total funding for airports and concessionaires: $8 billion.
- Funding for primary commercial service airports: $6.492 billion.
- Funding for nonprimary commercial service and GA airports: $100 million.
- Funding for concessionaires: $800 million.
- Funding to cover the local match for AIP projects: $608 million.
Request: The Senate is expected to consider amendments today and likely tomorrow in a so-called "vote-a-rama" process. We expect a majority of those amendments will fall on a party-line vote. However, we urge you to reach out to your two Senators and ask them to oppose the amendment proposed by Senator Ron Johnson to cut airport funding.
Talking Points:
- As the Senate considers the American Relief Plan, I urge you to vote against an amendment filed by Senator Ron Johnson that would reduce funding for airports from $8 billion to $2.64 billion.
- If enacted into law, his amendment would slash funding for ________ airport and other airports in our state by more than two-thirds. That proposed cut would be devasting.
- The Johnson amendment would hamper our ability to pay for operations, keep our workers on the job, and pay for debt service at a time when the pandemic continues to have a huge financial impact on airports and the entire aviation industry.
- I am hopeful that increasing vaccination rates will eventually lead to a recovery. But there remains a great a deal of uncertainty in the near-term, and airports are not expected to return to 2019 passenger levels for three or four years.
- As the pandemic continues, airports need additional funding to help them survive in the months ahead. Please vote against the amendment filed by Senator Ron Johnson that proposes to slash funding for airports.
