WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) today responded to attacks made on general aviation by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) at a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

"The statements made by Senator Rockefeller today blaming general aviation for the Senate’s lack of movement on the FAA reauthorization bill are misplaced," Brownback said. "While the general aviation community is opposed to new taxes such as Senator Rockefeller’s proposed user fees, they have shown that they are ready to pay their fair share for upgrading our nation’s air traffic control system by supporting a 65% increase in their jet fuel taxes. The House-passed FAA reauthorization bill rejects user fees, as does the Senate Finance Committee-passed bill. Senator Rockefeller’s proposal is the only one that contains user fees. To say that general aviation’s rejection of user fees is what’s stalling the process is not constructive and misleading."

Roberts said, "Senator Rockefeller’s statements are egregious, counterproductive and are at odds with the majority of the Senate Finance Committee and the House of Representatives. The people I represent who utilize General Aviation do not have ‘all kinds of money,’ as Sen. Rockefeller has said. In all my years in Congress, I have never had an industry approach me volunteering to pay more in taxes. However, this is just what the General Aviation community has done in order to modernize our Air Traffic Control system. As a member of the Finance Committee, and a Senator from the state producing the majority of GA aircraft in the world, I strongly encourage my colleagues to move FAA reauthorization forward before it expires on June 30."

-30-