Action Alert: Lawmakers File More Amendments to Reduce or Eliminate Airport Funding
March 5, 2021
Lawmakers are continuing to file more amendments to reduce or eliminate funding for airports and airline workers as the Senate continues to consider the American Rescue Plan – a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) this afternoon filed an amendment to eliminate funding for airports and separate amendments to strike sections related to airlines and aviation manufacturing jobs. Earlier Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) filed an amendment to slash funding for airports and concessionaires from $8 billion to $2.64 billion – a 67 percent cut.
Senate Republicans have filed more than 400 amendments so far, and we may see other proposals crop up to reduce or eliminate funding for airports and concessionaires. There hasn't been much debate on amendments today, and we expect deliberations on the coronavirus relief package will carry over into this weekend.
Request: We urge you to reach out to your two Senators and ask them to oppose amendments filed by Senators Ron Johnson and Mike Lee as well as any other proposal to reduce or eliminate coronavirus relief funding for airports.
Talking Points
Lawmakers are continuing to file more amendments to reduce or eliminate funding for airports and airline workers as the Senate continues to consider the American Rescue Plan – a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) this afternoon filed an amendment to eliminate funding for airports and separate amendments to strike sections related to airlines and aviation manufacturing jobs. Earlier Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) filed an amendment to slash funding for airports and concessionaires from $8 billion to $2.64 billion – a 67 percent cut.
Senate Republicans have filed more than 400 amendments so far, and we may see other proposals crop up to reduce or eliminate funding for airports and concessionaires. There hasn't been much debate on amendments today, and we expect deliberations on the coronavirus relief package will carry over into this weekend.
Request: We urge you to reach out to your two Senators and ask them to oppose amendments filed by Senators Ron Johnson and Mike Lee as well as any other proposal to reduce or eliminate coronavirus relief funding for airports.
Talking Points
- As the Senate continues to consider the American Rescue Plan, I urge you to vote against any amendment that would cut or eliminate critical coronavirus relief funding for airports.
- Amendments filed by Senator Ron Johnson and Mike Lee 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 any amendment that would slash or eliminate coronavirus relief funding for airports.
