There is NO Way I Would Work Without Pay, This is NOT Right!

Congress Goes on Recess Without FAA Bill
CNN reports the Senate went on summer
recess Tuesday night without taking action
to fully fund the FAA, all but assuring that
almost 4,000 furloughed FAA workers will
remain jobless for the next five weeks and
preventing the agency from collecting $1.2
billion in aviation taxes. The only sliver of
hope for furloughed FAA employees and
laid-off airport construction workers rests
with the fact the Senate scheduled nine
“pro forma” sessions during their break,
giving the Senate opportunities to consider
the funding bill. But Senate leaders gave
absolutely no indication they would do
so. FAA officials worked into Tuesday
evening looking for a solution, but it never
came. “It’s a sad day for America,” FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt said. Babbitt
said he expects a “brain drain” from the
furloughed workers, and said airport
construction projects will be set back “a
season.” “I’ve been around this business
a long time. I’ve never seen anything like
this,” Babbitt said. “And I find it appalling,
candidly.” On Monday, the House adjourned
after the divisive debt ceiling vote, leaving
the Senate with a version of the funding
extension bill that it did not like and could
not amend. On Tuesday evening, the
Senate recessed, without accepting the
House version of the bill. The FAA says the
impasse will prevent the federal government
from collecting approximately $200 million a
week in airline passenger taxes — or about
$1.2 billion during the congressional recess.

Safety Inspectors Work Without Pay
The New York Times reports FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt said Tuesday
that the agency was depending on
the “professionalism” of airport safety
inspectors to continue their work without
being paid, because their jobs are paid for
with money that is awaiting congressional
authorization. Those inspectors are the
primary individuals responsible for ensuring
that commercial airports comply with federal
regulations. They also support runway
safety action teams, oversee construction
safety plans, investigate runway incursions
and ensure that corrective action is taken
on safety discrepancies. “The reason they
are out on the job is because of the risk
to operational safety or life and property,”
Babbitt said. “We can neither pay them nor
can we compensate them for expenses.
We are depending and living on their
professionalism at this point.” It is unclear
how long the inspectors can continue to
pay the bills for their own travel and hotel
expenses. Typically, each of the roughly
40 regional inspectors travels to up to five
airports in each two-week period, FAA
officials said.