The tragic events of September 11, 2001, have shocked and saddened all of us. In the weeks, months, and even years ahead, they will challenge us to fight for our freedoms and our values, and to figure out precisely how best to do that. As a Member of the U.S. Congress, representing not just the 650,000 people of my district, but the Nation as a whole, I want to do my part to decide what action must be taken and to constantly work with the people I represent so that their views and concerns can be heard, and so that I can keep them informed of the actions our Nation is taking and plans to take.

Last week, I voted to authorize necessary and appropriate force in response to the attacks, and I voted for $40 billion in emergency funding to assist the victims and fund the investigation. I looked forward to supporting a package that would keep America's economy strong, by providing assistance to the American airline industry, helping our workers, and improving safety so that Americans feel confident in our skies again.

I looked forward to doing all of this in a bipartisan way. I know there are many differences of opinion in this body, even in times of great national emergency, regarding corporate liability, job training, federal control of aviation security, and other critically important issues, but I hoped that both sides would be able to give a little and compromise so that we could quickly put forth a package that would help heal the economic wounds that have been inflicted since September 11. 

The leadership of both parties in both the House and the Senate and their staffs have worked tirelessly to put together a package that could garner bipartisan support and address all of these issues I've outlined, and I appreciate that. However, I don't believe this package in front of us tonight is nearly well-balanced enough because it doesn't address the worker concerns or safety concerns. I am opposing it because I think we need to go back to the drawing board and fix it. If it takes until tomorrow, or Monday, or Tuesday, we need to get this right.

This legislation provides $5 billion in direct aid to the airlines, $10 billion in loan guarantees to airlines, government aid with insurance for airlines, and caps the airlines' financial liability. I support all of these provisions.

However, I believe it would be irresponsible not to also address safety issues and employee issues. After all, we cannot have a strong and vibrant airline industry in this country without people who want to fly, and that will require both people who have money in their pockets to buy airline tickets, and a dramatic improvement in consumer confidence that will only come with real safety improvements.

This legislation will cost over $15 billion. I find it unbelievable that we could not find one dollar to cushion the blow for the workers who will be affected--by latest estimates, approximately 100,000 workers will be laid off as a direct result of the attacks on September 11. Bolstering the airline industry so that we can minimize these layoffs is imperative, but the sad truth is, even this $15 billion will not save very many of the jobs lost due to the terrorist attacks. Many workers in my district, who work at Boeing's 737 plant in Renton, fear a layoff notice as early as next month. I'm sure the thousands of Alaska Airlines and SeaTac Airport employees in my district are worried too. I have faith that the industry and the economy will recover, but that won't help with these workers' mortgage, electric bill, or car payment.

Right now, if a group of workers can prove that their job was lost due to trade, they are eligible for a series of benefits including job training and income support. Why can't we extend the same benefits for the thousands of workers who will lose their jobs and have trouble finding a new one rlght away? Can't we send just a few dollars to the men and women who will no longer fly the planes, sell the tickets, load the bags, attend to the passengers, or build the planes?

Before he passed away, my father was one of those men. He worked for thirty years as a ramp serviceman for United Airlines at SeaTac Airport, so I know firsthand how important these jobs are to Americans, and I can't imagine what my father would have said if, after this attack, Congress had passed a relief package that gave $15 billion to the airline industry and not a dollar for the thousands of workers who will be impacted within the next weeks.

Let me just say a few words about safety and security issues. I strongly support the U.S. airline industry, and I believe that we should, at this critical moment in history, stand behind them. However, I think we have to fairly and reasonably examine the events of September 11. Our current airport security system allowed four U.S. planes to be hijacked by men with knives, some of whom were on the terrorist watch list. It's safe to say that the airport security system failed us.

If we are passing legislation to improve the condition of the airline industry, shouldn't we also address this issue? Perhaps airport security should truly be a security issue, not merely a business issue that, until last week, was mostly considered in terms of a company's bottom line. Don't get me wrong--the bottom line is important to our capitalist economy, but I have come to the conclusion that airport security should not be subject to those concerns. There are many interesting ideas out there for how to improve it, but I believe first and foremost we need to make airport security a responsibility of the Federal Government: perhaps under the Department of Transportation, or the Coast Guard.

In conclusion, I want to again express my disappointment at having to oppose this bill. I sincerely hope that the President, Senate leaders, and House leaders will work to address these important concerns before a package is signed into law.