Boxer Urges Congress to Compromise

Senator Barbara Boxer toured the Palm Springs Airport and, in a news conference, urgently asked House Speaker John Boehner to do something the Senate did four months ago. “The House has yet to appoint conferees. That’s why I join several colleagues in a letter asking Speaker Boehner to appoint House conferees immediately,” she said.

The Senate appointed conferees to the FAA Conference Committee four months ago, one of which is Boxer. The committee will meet to hash out differences the House and Senate have, the biggest being differences regarding union organizing rules.

At least 60 local workers have their jobs back despite the fact that Congress has not come up with a long-term funding plan for the agency. Tower construction project manager, Rich Garcia, says, “I think the biggest challenge is picking up where you left off in terms of being productive and finding out what needs to be done. Since there was a two week layoff, the guys got to figure out what they were doing.”

Boxer still thinks a lack of compromise from the Senate’s end stirred up the FAA stalemate, and even the debt crisis. “Meeting each other halfway…if I’m over here and you’re over here, and we’re both tired, and we’re both exhausted, what’s the fair thing? We’re both equally tired. We meet halfway. Everyone’s tired of this. Everyone’s exhausted. Meet each other halfway.”