Update 10-5-03
It seems that nearly every week there are new stories of “highlights and lowlifes” swirling around the FAA reauthorization saga.  Last week I mentioned there was a procedural issue that kept the motion to recommit the conference reauthorization back to conference because of the gerrymandering that was done to privatization language that I’ve been railing about for all these weeks.  All I knew at the time was that we had the votes but both original (house and senate) copies of their bills needed to be attached and one couldn’t be found.

Since then I have learned the episode resembled a Keystone Kops short and may have even involved some manipulations from the Congressional dirty tricks handbook.  In short, the house version of FAA reauthorization could not be located.  When House Transportation called up Senate commerce to ask for the papers, Commerce claimed they didn’t have them.  Had they been lost? Stolen? Intentionally hidden?

That set off a three and a half hour Chinese fire drill including frantic searching and finger pointing.  The House leadership and parliamentarian where convinced the house had them and demanded staffers drop everything to join the search.

By 2:30 the papers where found where the house staffers had insisted they were all along.  In the Senate commerce committee whose clerk apparently forgot they were sent about two months ago.  Unfortunately the House had given up around 1:00 on sending the bill back that day and adjourned early.

The story was unusual but really became interesting when several Republican staffers basically surmised this was not an accident but an intentional act.  The thought being that the Republican leadership had basically conceded the point of having to send the report back to conference.  But when a one-month continuing resolution was passed, some had a change of heart felt they could use that time to try and keep the motion off the floor and convince enough of our Republican supporters to back off.  I won’t mention names but they are the usual.  A minor stink has erupted in the house and senate over this all.  And lo’ and behold the motion did not return to the floor this week.

Our opponents are deploying win-at-all-costs tactics and they have now reached a new stage of desperation since the rank and file Republican membership has gone against them on this issue repeatedly. You can thank your NATCA leadership for developing relationships and educating these people on our issue.  And you can thank the NATCA PAC for giving them the vehicle and opportunity to do so.  When John Carr says, “give to the NATCA PAC like your career depends on it, because it does” it is the truth.  Are you giving to the NATCA PAC?

I’ll close there for this week.  These issues will be fast moving in the next few weeks and I hope to be able to bring you a report of a satisfactory conclusion.  At least for this chapter.