Lankford: Air Traffic Controller Furloughs ‘Pure Politics’
Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford blames ‘pure politics’ for air traffic controller furloughs
WASHINGTON — Rep. James Lankford, whose Oklahoma City district includes the training center for the nation’s air traffic controllers, said Thursday that the Obama administration is playing budget politics in requiring controllers to take furlough days.
“This is pure politics at its worst,” Lankford, a Republican, said. “They have plenty of money at FAA to be able to accommodate (budget cuts) without having to furlough workers and without having to delay the American public.”
Lankford joined several of his Republican colleagues at a Capitol Hill news conference to criticize the administration and the Federal Aviation Administration for furloughs that began Sunday and have been delaying flights across the country.
The FAA contends the furloughs of 15,000 air traffic controllers were made necessary by the budget cuts that went into effect last month. And the White House took issue this week with a main contention of Republicans — that the FAA could have absorbed the cuts without hitting air traffic controllers.