Obams Signs Bill to End Air-Traffic Controller Furloughs

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed a bill to end air-traffic controller furloughs that resulted from across-the-board sequester cuts. The furloughs were blamed for flight delays last week. 

As The Hill noted, Congress was in such a hurry to pass the bill last week “that parts of it were reportedly handwritten” and the bill “was delayed in getting to Obama because of a typo.”

The bill “allows the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to move money around in its budget to eliminate furloughs for air traffic controllers” and the “money would come from a grant program used for airport improvements.”

On Tuesday, Obama said the bill was “not a solution” and claimed that “in order to avoid delays this summer, we’re going to ensure delays for the next two or three decades.”

The flight delays caused Washington lawmakers to panic, especially after they were flooded with complaints. 

Last week “airlines launched a website to direct passengers to complain about the flight delays to Congress and the Obama administration,” and lobbying groups for airlines reported that 19,000 people had written to the FAA and the White House to complain about the delays.