Republican members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee are urging a Congressional deficit-reduction panel not to make changes to the current aviation financing structure by adding user fees and other taxes.
“We strongly support the current aviation funding structure, where the user pays for services and infrastructure improvements that benefit them,” said committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) on behalf of the Republican committee members. The letter to the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction also pointed out that the $100 user fee proposed by the Obama administration “is an arbitrary number with no basis for its establishment.”
The committee members called on Congress to enact a long-term FAA reauthorization bill that could “address wasteful FAA practice and lead to much-needed FAA reforms.” A reauthorization bill that is being negotiated in Congress does not include aviation user fees, they added.
“We appreciate Chairman Mica and the Republican members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for expressing their support for the current aviation funding structure and not user fees as proposed by the Obama administration,” said AOPA Vice President of Legislative Affairs Lorraine Howerton.
The recommendation from the joint committee on how to trim the deficit must receive an up-or-down vote in Congress before Dec. 23.
