Right Now
Forty-nine days since Dr. Coburn first wrote the FAA on how to responsibly manage sequestration with no response, Dr. Coburn asks why the FAA is doing its best to ensure sequestration is the scapegoat for every flight delay in a new letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Currently, the FAA has 32,000 employees that are not air traffic controllers. However, the FAA says its 15,000 air traffic controllers must make up an equal part of the agency’s furloughs – despite the fact the FAA employs a variety of employees that aren’t immediately critical to FAA’s mission. Dr. Coburn asks the FAA to follow up on his previous letter identifying over a billion dollars in savings while also urging the FAA to refocus their efforts to serve the travelling public and keep the public safe.