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CONGRESSMAN MCGOVERN'S REMARKS AS PREPARED ON H.R. 658:

Here we go again. Instead of bringing meaningful legislation to create jobs to the floor of the House, the new Republican majority continues to show just how out-of-touch they are.

Two weeks ago it was cutting off funding for NPR. Yesterday it was private school vouchers in Washington, DC.

But today's bill is even worse. Because this bill will actually destroy jobs.

H.R. 658 starts by reducing the Federal Aviation Administration's funding back to Republicans' favorite -sound-bite- number of FY 2008 levels.

We know that every $1 billion of federal investment in infrastructure creates or sustains approximately 35,000 jobs. That's 35,000 Americans who could pay their mortgages and stay in their homes. 35,000 Americans that could better afford to put their kids through college. 35,000 Americans that could help our economy to recover.

Instead, H.R. 658 cuts almost $2 billion from the Airport Improvement Program, which provides grants to airports for constructing and improving runways and terminals.

This provision alone will cost us 70,000 jobs over the course of this four-year reauthorization period.

H.R. 658's reduced funding levels will result in the layoffs of hundreds of safety inspectors, engineers and support personnel.

These drastic cuts will also delay transitioning our out-dated air traffic control system to the modern Next Gen system.

Without 21^st century infrastructure and technology, the United States can't keep up with our global competitors. It's just that simple.

M. Speaker, in the past, FAA reauthorization bills have garnered a great deal of bipartisan support.

Unfortunately, this time is very different. Because in addition to the inadequate funding levels, this bill continues an emerging - and disturbing - Republican trend toward destroying the collective bargaining rights for American workers.

From Wisconsin to Ohio to Maine, we have seen how Republican politicians are attempting to destroy a century of hard-fought labor protections. This bill represents more of the same.

The bill would reverse a National Mediation Board rule that allows a majority of those voting in aviation and rail union elections to decide the outcome.

Instead, Tea Party extremists want to count workers who chose not to vote as automatic -no's- against the union.

I wonder if my friends on the other side of the aisle would be willing to use that same standard in congressional elections?

I wonder if they'd agree that every registered voter who didn't vote - for whatever reason- last November would automatically be counted as a-no- vote against them. I doubt it.

Because in the 2010 midterm elections, 40.9 percent of eligible voters cast ballots nationwide.

Under the standard in this bill, not a single current Member of Congress would have won election last year. Not one.

Let me make this a little more clear - neither I nor my colleague from the other side of the aisle, the new Member representing the 8^th District of Florida, would be standing here today if this undemocratic standard is enacted. In fact, my friend from Florida would have received only 23.1% of the vote - well below the 50% threshold included in this bill that he supports today.

I ask my friend from Florida, where in the Constitution does it say that any registered voter who doesn't cast vote in an election has their vote count as a -no-?

If this standard doesn't make sense for Members of Congress - if we're unwilling to use it on ourselves - then it isn't fair for working people trying to organize.

M. Speaker, this bill unfortunately abandons a long and proud tradition of bipartisanship on the Transportation Committee, on which I am honored to say I once served.

I urge my colleagues to reject this rule and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.