ABC's Jon Karl Blames House GOP for FAA Shutdown, Skips Democratic Obstruction
Good Morning America's Jon Karl on Thursday placed the blame for a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration on House Republicans, ignoring the role Senate Democrats have played.
4000 thousand FAA workers have been furloughed, construction projects have been stopped, but Karl complained, "What's the hold up? Republicans are insisting on cuts to a program that subsidizes flights to small rural airports."
He then played a clip of Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer attacking, "It's the issue of hostage taking. It's as if someone puts a gun to your head and says 'give me your money' and you say, 'Why won't you give them their money?'"
Democrats weren't mentioned once. The House has passed a short-term FAA funding bill through the September recess. As The Hill reported, "But Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) put a stop to those plans when he insisted on a 'clean' bill from the House, which will not return to Washington until Sept. 7."
Instead of explaining this, Karl focused on the Republican-controlled House. He narrated, "I caught up with the Republican House Transportation Secretary John Mica on the phone as he was leaving town. How can you leave town without it being resolved?"
GMA viewers might be perplexed by Mica's response. He explained, "Well, last time I checked I didn't have a vote in the U.S. Senate." This was the only time the word "Senate" was uttered in the whole segment.
In a House letter that offered more information than a confusing four second clip, Mica informed:
After 4 1/2 years and 20 previous extensions - 17 of which were passed by a Democrat-controlled Senate and House - Senate and House Democrats are now arguing that they don't like the process, but it's doubtful that complaining about the process is comforting to the families of those 4,000 furloughed FAA employees.
As Redstate.com explained, there is a component of the standoff that relates to funding of little-used airports:
The House bill cut a subsidy program to three rural airports, where the cost of subsidized flights was hopelessly uneconomical. One of those airports, White Pine County Airport in Ely, Nevada, enjoys a subsidy to the tune of $3,720 per passenger! [Read more about it here] Yet, Reid refused to relinquish his selfish pork, causing a partial shutdown of the FAA and the furloughing of 4,000 employees.
Other than a one sentence description, Karl ignored this aspect.
Over on MSNBC's, Wednesday, Martin Bashir flatly blamed the GOP for leaving workers "in the lurch."
A transcript of the August 04, 2011 segment can be found below:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We're going to turn now to that standoff in Washington that's having an impact on every airport in the country. For weeks, the FAA has been partially shut down because Congress couldn't agree on its budget. So, now, thousands of FAA workers aren't getting paid and thousands of others could lose their jobs and Congress has left town without solving the problem. ABC's Jon Karl is at National airport right now. Good morning, Jon.
ABC GRAPHIC: Congress Fails to Fund FAA: Thousands Unpaid: Airlines Keep Fees
JON KARL: Good morning, George. This standoff has already cost the FAA $300 million, but the only people who can fix it are now on vacation. Thanks to inaction by Congress, more than 200 airport construction projects have ground to a halt. Leaving 4,000 FAA employees and some 70,000 construction workers out of their jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Everybody wants to play hard ball and hard ball hurt us.
KARL: 40 Airport safety inspectors are even being asked to work without pay and to pay their own travel expenses. Second day in a row President Obama pleaded with Congress to end the impasse.
BARACK OBAMA: So, this is a lose/lose/lose situation that can easily be solved if Congress gets back into town and does its job.
KARL: I caught up with the Republican House Transportation Secretary John Mica on the phone as he was leaving town. How can you leave town without it being resolved?
REP. JOHN MICA: Well, last time I checked I didn't have a vote in the U.S. Senate.
KARL: What's the hold up? Republicans are insisting on cuts to a program that subsidizes flights to small rural airports.
SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER: It's the issue of hostage taking. It's as if someone puts a gun to your head and says give me your money and you say why won't you give them their money?
KARL: The Republican cut would save $16 million a year, but thanks to the standoff, the government is losing nearly $30 million a day because it is no longer collecting fees charged to each and every airline ticket. If Congress doesn't fix this until they get back September, the FAA will be out $1.3 billion. The only ones benefitting here are the airlines. Most of them are simply pocketing the money normally collected by the FAA. Now, three smaller airlines have decided not to keep the extra cash. One of those, Alaska Airlines, passing the savings on to their customers has seen their bookings increase by 26 percent since this mess began. George?
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Comments
Lies or ignorance?
Submitted by as.erwin on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:07pm.
The House has passed a bill... The Senate (controlled by Democrats) have not even brought theirs to the floor. The House GOP doesn't control Harry Reid, do they? It is his call. Do members of the media now know this? Or do they spread lies on purpose?
Remember when the House would
Submitted by Reaver on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 1:26pm.
Remember when the House would pass a bill, the Senate would pass a bill, then the two bills would go to committee for reconciliation? The dems are trying to turn doing nothing while blaming the people who are doing something into a political position.
Liar,Liar,Pants on fire
Submitted by palmaceiahome on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 2:03pm.
I am troubled when I bring this topic up to a neighbor and he starts sighting the Media's talking points that come directly from the White House
Liar,Liar,Pants on fire
Submitted by palmaceiahome on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 2:01pm.
I am troubled when I bring this topic up to a neighbor and he starts sighting the Media's talking points that come directly from the White House
Liar,Liar,Pants on fire
Submitted by palmaceiahome on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 2:03pm.
I am troubled when I bring this topic up to a neighbor and he starts sighting the Media's talking points that come directly from the White House
Just like....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:13pm.
Just like when the bad ol' GOP obstructionists controlled Congress prior to November 2010. You remember - Democrat controlled House, Democrat controlled Senate, Union (socialist, but basically Democrat) controlled President. Yet, somehow, the Republicans blocked all the wonderful things the Dim-bulbs were trying to do to...I mean, "for" us.
In my opinion, even the original complaint:
Submitted by Ken James on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:20pm.
"What's the hold up? Republicans are insisting on cuts to a program that subsidizes flights to small rural airports."
is commendable. Too often these agencies are re-funded because legislators are held hostage by the "last minute". Sometimes ruthlessness is called for. And it needs to happen more often.
As I said on the Bashir thread, Ken
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:23pm.
John Murtha is dead.
Time to strip out the pork in the FAA's budget to cater to dead Congress critters (and brain dead ones, too).
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Does anyone detect a pattern here?
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:21pm.
Talking point of the day starts with the Senate democrats ---> MSNBC -----> Alphabets.
Talking point today, "House Republicans are hostage taking terrorists, shutting down the FAA before they irresponsibly went on vacation".
Let's test my hypothesis. After all, as Scarlett would say, "tomorrow is another day"....and we'll have plenty of data moving forward to test my hypothesis.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Who is holding this
Submitted by Edhenry on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:36pm.
Who is holding this up?
Seems GOP has 1 simple demand and are fine with rest of legislation. If Dems agree, bill goes into law. So the only barricade to this law is the D party.
The GOP controls the House,
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:48pm.
The GOP controls the House, not the government. This is only one more proof that congress will not get any meaningful cuts until the country goes TU like Greece.
Seems like the old Media attitude...
Submitted by packman on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 1:16pm.
which is essentially, they analyze the news, then they tell us what it means, and how we should think regarding a particular issue. Doesn't matter whether its objective or truth, what matters is they (the media) get to tell us what to think. Heaven forbid that someone would actually check the story themselves - and find out the truth of the matter without media direction. That's why I like NewsBusters so much...and of course in the main stream media's misreporting is always that left-leaning liberal thing that essentially infects everything they report on.
Look at all the fawning, hero-worship and soft-balling the media has engaged in regarding our prez. Essentially he's a loser who who couldn't think his way out of a paper bag unless he had a teleprompter telling him how to do it. Yet the media continues to insist he is on some kind of messianic god-level or something. Got news for you media types...the information age is upon us all and now practically everyone has some gosh-wonderful level of access to the news - on their own, without filtering, and we can all now make our own decisions about what really goes down. And we ain't buying your crap anymore...
"...Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread..." ~Thomas Jefferson
That sounds familiar
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 1:30pm.
"For weeks, the FAA has been partially shut down because Congress couldn't agree on its budget."
That sounds familiar. How long has it been since Congress actually passed a budget?
Oh, by the way, what is the problem with the FAA anyways? They've got the same "budget" this year as they had last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, because of the "resolutions" that extended their current spending levels over a three year period. WHY is it a problem this year when the FAA didn't have a problem last year, or the year before that, or the year before that, with the exact same spending levels? It's obvious that this "partial shutdown' is a political machination by the President, it's an election year ploy, and that's ALL that it is! Obama, STOP playing games with America. Its a game you're bound to lose.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
They know that if you repeat
Submitted by Semus on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 1:31pm.
They know that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth.....to the ignorant, that's the plan, that's what they do, and it works. Honest responsible media types can never stop rebuking this. The MSM is not reporting news they are agenda driven and no good can from this evil.
An example of this is the above mentioned column. Other examples are the completely dishonest way Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson interviewed Sarah Palin. This was done by news mediums to impact the national election and they got away with it, the cry's of foul were few and far between, and that shouldn't be.
The truth be damned unless it suits them.
Is it illegal?
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 1:46pm.
KARL: ". . . The only ones benefitting here are the airlines. Most of them are simply pocketing the money normally collected by the FAA. Now, three smaller airlines have decided not to keep the extra cash. One of those, Alaska Airlines, passing the savings on to their customers has seen their bookings increase by 26 percent since this mess began. . . ."
I'm not an accountant, so maybe someone can help me here.
The airlines collect Federal fees on behalf of the Federal government. But there are no Feds on duty to receive the fees, so they are pocketing the money, and even giving some back to the passengers.
Isn't that illegal?
Ofcourse he does...and
Submitted by Barack Must Go on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 3:43pm.
Ofcourse he does...and ofcourse he doesn't. That's the way those left wing bomb throwing zealots roll.
Yada Yada Yada
Submitted by scottyusmc on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 3:48pm.
Anything anyone in the so-called news media has to say means nothing since the truth is easy to spot if someone only looks objectively on their own. This one is too simple. even for a liberal--- Republican House passes FAA bill; and Democrat Senate failed to act on FAA authorization. Two simple facts that can't be spun... How embarrassing to be them - and have to report so obvious a falsehood with a straight face. But they sure practice a lot...
ABC lies
Submitted by ohio granny on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 4:42pm.
ABC lies to protect Obama and Reid, DEMOCRATS. The House, under Republican control, passed what they needed to. The Senate, under DEMOCRATS, has done nothing.
ABC IS LYING TO COVER FOR THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND OBAMA.