Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) held a bipartisan press conference, along with his Protect Our Skies Act cosponsor Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), on the handling of Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) disproportionate sequestration cuts. He addressed the Obama Administration’s short-sighted decisions to close 149 FAA Contract Control Towers and furlough air traffic controllers, and stated that politics is playing a significant role. Highlights of Sen. Moran’s remarks can be found below, along with links to download and satellite coordinates:

Sen. Moran: “I think the Administration does have the flexibility to make decisions about prioritizing spending within the FAA and the Department of Transportation, but if they do not – the surprising thing to me is that this President doesn’t even ask for the ability to reestablish the priorities.”

Sen. Moran: “There was satisfactory explanation as to why the Administration opposed our amendment, and it certainly has led to the speculation by many – Republicans and Democrats – that there is an effort afoot to try to demonstrate that sequestration is something that is so painful it cannot be accomplished without dramatic consequences… I didn’t vote for sequestration…I’m not here to defend the process that we’re going through as far as sequestration – I am here to say there is a better response by an administration than the one we’ve seen.

Sen. Moran: “If the Administration is trying to make the political point that sequestration is difficult to accomplish – that it’s very damaging to the public, to the American citizen – this is not a place to make that point. Let’s have the debate about sequestration, let’s have the conversation about whether or not we can afford a reduction in the growth in spending, but let’s not put those who travel in this country’s safety at risk to prove that political point. To me, it certainly seems as if politics is playing a significant role in determining what actions the FAA is taking – and every indication I have from conversations with my colleagues is that it emanates from the White House.”