Texas to Fund Control Towers Shut Down by Sequester

Texas will pay to keep 13 local air traffic control towers that the Obama administration plans shut down in order to play politics with the sequester. 

Last week, the Obama administration announced it would close 149 air traffic control towers nationwide starting on April 7 to save $600 million. 

The Texas Department of Transportation said safety and Texas’s economy, which relies on air travel, prompted the state to keep the air traffic control towers open. 

According to The Hill, Texas Transportation Department Executive Director Phil Wilson said, “flying is an integral part of commerce in Texas,” and Texas decided to pick up the tab because “local communities are counting on these airports to remain open for continued economic success.”