No one on the left or right credibly denies that much of America’s aging infrastructure is crumbling or outdated. The sticky question, as is so often the case with such issues, is not whether or not more needs to be done but how to pay for it.
Liberals generally believe it’s the American taxpayer who should shoulder the burden – preferably “the rich.” Conservatives generally believe it’s those who actually use the roads, railways and airports who should be responsible for their upkeep.
Because of this fundamental funding difference, the left claims conservatives are opponents of infrastructure investment in general. Which reminds me of that old Reagan line about liberals not being ignorant, “It’s just that they know so many things that aren’t so.”
On the other hand, and much like repealing ObamaCare, the right should do more than simply say no to liberal tax-and-spend proposals they oppose. Conservatives should offer their own thoughtful and distinctly conservative proposals for dealing with our various infrastructure needs.
And that’s exactly what Reps. David Jolly (R-FL), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have done when it comes to meeting airport infrastructure needs.
America’s airports are, unquestionably, very powerful economic engines. They generate more than $1.1 trillion in annual activity and support more than 9.6 million jobs – including many high-paying jobs.
There’s also no question that our airports lack the funding needed to make critical infrastructure investments.
According to a recent survey, airports need approximately $15.14 billion annually in infrastructure improvements to update aging facilities, relieve delays and congestion, promote safety and security, and spur airline competition to provide passengers with more choices and affordable options.
Jolly, Massie and Bilirakis believe the responsibility for financing such airport infrastructure projects should be shouldered by the travelers who use and directly benefit from those facilities.
To do this, their bill – H.R. 5563, the Restoring Local Control of Airports Act of 2016 – removes the federal cap on passenger facility charges (PFCs); giving commercial airports owned and operated by local public agencies the authority to set PFC rates to fund their infrastructure projects.
This bill is an important first step in moving to a system where airports are fully self-sufficient and not reliant on federal tax dollars – which would also go a long way towards removing Uncle Sam’s strings and the tangled red tape that goes along with them.
Canada has already moved aggressively forward with efforts to modernize its own aviation industry. Not only has our neighbor to the north successfully corporatized air traffic control, it’s also given their airports the ability to fend for themselves and become financially self-sufficient.
The U.S. should follow suit and get Washington out of our aviation industry’s hair.
HR 5563 would cut the airline ticket tax paid by passengers and reduce federal spending by $400 million each year while enhancing local control of airport improvement projects. In addition, the bill would streamline the PFC application process to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and improve project delivery times.
It would also prevent airports from setting excessively high PFC rates by strengthening the Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) oversight of the PFC program.
Abraham Lincoln declared that the proper role of government was to do for the people that which they cannot do at all, or so well, for themselves. Building and maintaining modern-day airports certainly falls into that category.
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers certainly believed that government is best which is closest to the people.
HR 5563 is a responsible, conservative reform proposal in line with the thinking of two of America’s greatest presidents. Perhaps it should be renamed “The Lincoln-Jefferson Airport Act of 2016.”
Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a conservative grassroots advocacy organization based in Las Vegas, Nevada