Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Representative John James (MI-10) introduced the Keep America Flying Act to the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would provide back and ongoing pay for essential Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration employees during the current government shutdown. James’ bill is the House companion bill to Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) Keep America Flying Act.

Specifically, the bill would ensure pay and benefits for:

• Air traffic controllers and other FAA essential operational personnel whose services are required for the safe and orderly operation of the national airspace system.
• TSA employees engaged in screening operations, aviation security duties, or related mission-support functions necessary to carry out security screening.

Rep. James released the following statement after introducing the legislation:

“It has been 40 days since House Republicans voted to keep the government open. Since then, Senate Republicans have voted 13 times to open the government, and Senate Democrats have voted 13 times to keep it shut down. Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats are playing Russian Roulette with other people’s lives for a $1.5 trillion giveaway to greedy insurance companies and taxpayer funded healthcare for illegal immigrants. It’s putting the safety and security of America at risk by keeping the men and women who protect our skies unpaid.”

“The best way forward for our federal workers and our country is for Democrats to pass the clean continuing resolution that House Republicans and I passed 40 days ago. Their refusal to do the right thing is forcing us to come up with alternative solutions to deliver for the American people. While they are focused on ‘standing up to Trump,’ I’m focused on standing up for you.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation said:

“We cannot allow Democrats to use our airports as political leverage to try to enact their radical policy agenda.  Airport workers are doing their job to keep people safe – which is more than I can say for Chuck Schumer and the Democrats. This legislation would pay air traffic controllers and TSA agents, along with other essential personnel, during the Schumer shutdown in order to keep our airports orderly and secure.”

As a former Army pilot, Rep. James understands firsthand the importance of aviation safety and supports the critical work of our FAA and TSA personnel who keep America’s skies secure. His bill comes following disturbing rhetoric from numerous Democrats regarding the government shutdown:

• A Democratic aide said that Democrats will not concede the shutdown short of “planes falling out of the sky.”
•  House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) acknowledged the damage the Schumer Shutdown is causing, but noted that Democrats can use it as political leverage: “…of course, there will be families that are going to suffer…But it is one of the few leverage times we have,”
•  As federal workers, FAA, TSA, law enforcement, and military families face missed paychecks, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that “Every day gets better,” for Democrats during the shutdown.
• Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said “You reopen the government, and we lose our leverage…That’s what this whole shutdown is about.”

Some Democrats have grown frustrated with the Democrat decision to shut down the government, including Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) who said that Democrats are “lying” about their shutdown strategy: “I’m just uncomfortable lying about the strategy to win and shutting down the government. We’ve never been the party that does that,”

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said, “NATCA’s top legislative priority is to end the shutdown immediately. On Tuesday, October 28, air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals represented by NATCA received zero-dollar paychecks. This is unacceptable. NATCA members deserve to be paid for the work they are performing on behalf of the American flying public. We urge members of Congress to vote in favor of the Keep American Flying Act.”

NATCA has endorsed Rep. James’ legislation.

Everett Kelley, National President of The American Federation of Government Employees, urged for the passage of a clean continuing resolution—which House Republicans passed on September 19^th—, saying, “it’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today.”  

Click here to view the text of the bill. 

###