For Release: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Contact: David Gillies: 202-225-5661
COSTELLO AND PETRI SEND ANTI-USER FEE LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
WASHINGTON - House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-IL) and Ranking Member Thomas Petri (R-WI) today sent a letter signed by 118 bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives to President Obama urging him not to include general aviation user fees in the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Both Costello and Petri support maintaining the current mechanism of using fuel taxes to support the Aviation Trust Fund, as is contained in H.R. 915, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009. H.R. 915 passed the House in May and is awaiting action in the Senate.
“The large number of our colleagues supporting this letter underscores its message – that including user fees in the 2011 budget will not be received well in the House,” said Costello. “We need to pass the FAA Reauthorization bill and focus on NextGen.”
Petri said, “User fees would be a bureaucratic and administrative nightmare, which is why the House of Representatives is on record in opposition to them. This letter reiterates that message.”
###
