|
The House and Senate yesterday came closer to approving
financial help to the airline industry, including laid-off workers, but
House lawmakers included a provision capping executive salaries and
benefits at last year’s rates. The supplemental spending measure passed by
House Appropriations contained $235 million for airport modifications to
install explosives-detection equipment.
Senate appropriators during a markup of the President’s
Fiscal Year 2003 war supplemental approved a package worth $3.5 billion, a
compromise between the Republican-proposed $2.8 billion airline aid and
additional funds requested by Sen. Patty Murray (DWash.) that would also
help laid-off airline workers. Murray said the money would also increase
funds to airports to pay for security. The deal is expected to go to the
Senate floor this week. Senate Republicans, outraged over airline
executives’ bonuses paid at a time of increasing bankruptcies and industry
job losses, pledged last week that they would include language in any aid
bill to cap executive compensation for airlines seeking federal relief.
As of press time yesterday, there was no indication that
such language was included in the amendment approved by Senate
appropriators. The House approved an amendment to the supplemental
introduced by Chairman Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) at the request of
Republican leadership to grant $3.2 billion in aid to the airlines. But the
measure will go forward with an amendment introduced by Rep. Martin Sabo
(D-Minn.) that caps executive compensation at 2002 levels. Ranking Member
Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) protested, “I don’t know what we ought to do for
the airline industry,” noting airlines have sought federal help “every two,
three, four years.” While acknowledging the extraordinary circumstances the
industry faces in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, he said
that even without the attacks airlines would have filed for bankruptcy and
that the government should consider regulating airlines as a “necessary
public utility.”
The airlines are “always on the lookout for exceptions
to the normal capitalist rule,” he said, vowing this would be the “last
time I will vote to contribute a dime to the airlines” until the government
decides it needs to be more closely regulated as a public utility. Young,
in introducing the $3 billion assistance package, said he did not believe
it belonged in the war supplemental and that money for airline aid should
come from the aviation trust fund. But Republican leaders agreed to draw
the money from the general fund. Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)
threw in his support but said he wanted assurance that appropriators would
in future address the needs of airline workers. Minority Leader Rep. Nancy
Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said that aid for airline employees laid off as the
result of the terrorist attacks should be included in any package to help
the industry. –DM
|