This is an extraordinary time to serve in the United States Congress.  Never before in the history of our nation have we faced a crisis like the one wrought from the events of September 11^th.  Congress has set aside the scheduled agenda, much of which was partisan in nature and tone.  Instead, we are focusing on how best to assist our country during this troubled time irrespective of political persuasions. 

            In the days immediately following the horrific terrorist attacks, we voted unanimously to aid the victims’ families, to support the relief efforts, to authorize the President to use force in response, and to ask the American people to join in a show of patriotism by flying the American flag.  I supported these measures because under the circumstances they were the right things to do. 

            But ten days after our country was irreversibly changed, I voted with 53 of my colleagues against the airline bailout bill.  I did so because under the circumstances, I felt it was the right thing to do.  I fully support federal aid to keep the airline industry in business.  But I could not support the bailout measure recently passed by both Houses of Congress, not because of what was in the bill, but because of what was not in the bill.

We must help the airlines to keep flying airplanes, but we also need to help the people who service these airplanes maintain personal security and family stability.  I could not support legislation that protects the airline executives and stockholders but does nothing for the 100,000+ industry employees who are now out of work and whose family members are now unprotected and destabilized.

Consider this:  There is a provision in the bill that seems to allow airline executives to retire, if they choose to do so, with double last year’s compensation.  That means that one particular airline executive who made $35 million in 2000 can walk away from the airline industry with $70 million in his pocket.  Yet the bill includes no mention of compensating his employees many of whom are now unemployed, and without health insurance for themselves and their families.

The question is, “Who are we going to take care of at the government’s expense?” While we are rallying around the flag, we have begun to compartmentalize people and put more value on one person’s life and livelihood than another.

            Let me reiterate, I don’t object to the $15 billion dollar price tag of the airline bailout package, but it makes no sense to be spending money to save the airlines while not protecting their employees.  If you are laying-off 20% of your people, why do you need this huge cash infusion?  It seems to me that we ought to be making this infusion so the airlines can keep these people working until the industry can begin to rebound.  Instead these workers are getting it at both ends.

             I consider the votes I am casting these days to be among the most important of my five terms in Congress, and maybe far into the future or for however long I am allowed to serve.  Our nation is treading in uncharted territory, and each measure we consider is vital to our country’s efforts to affect triumph out of tragedy. 

It is easy to get swept up in the patriotic passion that has bolstered this nation in its time of grief.  But these decisions before us are too important, too complex, and too far-reaching to allow the most needy among us, many of whom I represent, to fall by the wayside. 

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