Letter: Shutdown hurts aviation

I applaud Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler for her vote this week to fund the Department of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. The lapse in appropriations has led to a shutdown at the FAA, which is severely affecting the National Airspace System, resulting in:

1. Delays in equipment maintenance and modernization projects, which result in exorbitant cost overruns and no safety redundancy.

2. The furlough of safety inspectors and aviation certifiers, which also harms the private sector.

3. Increased hardships to aviation professionals who are experiencing heartbreakingly unfortunate situations and will now go without pay.

4. The termination of training new air traffic controllers, even though we are at a 30-year low on staffing.

These are just a few examples of how the world’s safest, most efficient air traffic system is being degraded. The congresswoman knows that border security is necessary and worth fighting for, but cannot be at the cost of a system that contributes $1.5 trillion to our economy.