Member Action Urged for Potential User Fee Fight in 2011 White House Budget

October 15, 2009 — Congressional representatives are sounding the alarm about user fees once again as White House begins the 2011 budget process.  Reps. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Thomas Petri (R-Wis.), the chairman and ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee, are concerned about a push within the administration to include user fees to pay for FAA budget priorities.

In a letter to President Obama, Costello and Petri urge the President not to propose user fees as a means of funding the FAA. The two members are also seeking co-signers within Congress to reinforce the point.  EAA and AOPA are encouraging their members to call their congressional representatives and urge them to sign the letter. Constituents have until 5 p.m. eastern time on Friday October, 16 to contact their representative.

User fees have proven time and again to be expensive, inefficient, and damaging to general aviation in every country in which they have been tried. (See EAA’s briefing on user fees.)  In addition, another debate over user fees could delay overall funding for modernization of the air transportation system.

Representatives who have signed so far:

Democrats:	Republicans:
Oberstar C. Brown Filner DeFazio Boswell Norton Carnahan Boccieri Holdon Ortiz McMahon Lipinski Hirono Cohen Mitchell Berkley Peterson Boyd Berry Rahall	Ehlers Tiahrt Westmoreland Graves Boozman Guthrie Capito Fallin Moran Schock Duncan Gerlach Mack LoBiondo Buchanan Dent Chafftez Burgess Schmidt Terry