Bipartisan FAA bill is a win for the American people

OPINION:

There’s an old saying among pilots: “If you build a mile of highway, it’ll take you a mile, but if you build a mile of runway, it can take you anywhere.”

That promise — the promise of something more — inspired me to earn my pilot’s license. It’s what propelled me from a farm in Missouri to the halls of Congress. And it’s why I know that no matter how daunting the odds, there’s always a path to take flight.

We just proved that this week. With all the partisanship and division in Washington, getting something done seems next to impossible. Yet, as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I was able to bring Republicans and Democrats together to put a bill on the President’s desk that will reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), rebuild our airport infrastructure, and ensure that America continues to set the gold standard in aviation safety.

To be clear, this wasn’t something that I did alone. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort. Far too many legislative efforts these days start with a my-way-or-the-highway type of approach: “Here’s my bill — take it or leave it.”

We charted a different path.

We started by asking other members of Congress, “What do you want to see in an FAA bill?” We took those suggestions to heart, listened to Americans who work throughout the aviation industry — from pilots and mechanics to manufacturers and customers — and built those real-life experiences into the bill.

We came out with a bill that wasn’t just good for Republicans or Democrats, but good for Americans. It made significant consumer protection reforms to ensure Americans get what they pay for when they buy a plane ticket. It included historic investments in our airports, large and small. It also included a title dedicated to general aviation. General aviation has been an essential part of American aviation since the Wright Brothers, but believe it or not, no FAA bill has ever had a general aviation title before.

That’s how we went through regular order and passed a bill with 387 votes in the House and 88 votes in the Senate. That’s one heck of an accomplishment on a bill that is this important. And we aren’t done yet.

This week, we also passed a bipartisan reauthorization of the Coast Guard through the House with 376 votes: legislation critical for defending America’s waters and supporting navigation. We’re also working on legislation to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) pipeline safety programs. That’s an agency most people have never heard of. Still, it plays a crucial role in ensuring this country’s 3.4 million miles of pipelines get oil and gas where it needs to go safely and affordably.

We can walk and chew gum at the same time, though. Right now, we’re in the process of putting together another bipartisan Water Resources Development Act, which governs nearly all the civil works missions of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. That’s incredibly important for the people of my North Missouri district, bordered by the muddy Missouri and mighty Mississippi rivers.

But you don’t have to have experienced a flood, seen a lock and dam firsthand, or lived near a port for this legislation to impact your life. Our navigation system, supported by the Army Corps, transports nearly two billion tons of cargo every single year. If you shop at a grocery store, you depend on many things that have moved on an inland waterway or through a port. This bill promises to be another win for the American people that can gain broad support in Congress. I remain committed to seeing that through.

With the FAA bill signed into law, we will build and rebuild a lot more than just a mile of runway. We will show that we can and will get the people’s work done, and we can do it all without breaking the bank.

Rep. Sam Graves, R-MO., serves as the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Graves, a professional pilot, recently oversaw the House approval of legislation, now signed into law, to fund the Federal Aviation Administration and the nation’s aviation safety and infrastructure programs for five years. Rep. Graves is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.