Senate Democrats are tired of losing policy standoffs
to Republicans. They are desperate for a win, any
win, and they do not care who they have to hurt to
get it. Hence Majority Leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev.,
decision to block a vote on a House bill that would
have temporarily funded the Federal Aviation
Administration through September. Without the
funding, the FAA is now in a partial shutdown that
will cause 4,000 FAA employee furloughs, 70,000 lost
construction jobs, and $1.2 billion in lost revenue.

Senate Democrats cite two problems with the House FAA
bill: 1) it reverses a new National Labor Relations
Board ruling that makes it easier to unionize, and 2)
it cuts $16.5 million in funding for in “Essential
Air Service” to 13 rural communities. The first
objection is completely bogus. A long-term FAA
funding bill approved by the House did contain a
provision that reversed the NLRB ruling, but the
temporary House funding bill, the one that would have
kept everyone employed through September, does not
contain any labor provisions in it. That leaves the
$16.5 million in subsidies for rural airports. Rep.
John Mica, R-Fla., explains what is really going on
here: “The only one holding this up now is Mr.
Rockefeller.” Mica was referring to Sen. John
Rockefeller, D-W.Va., whose Morgantown, W.Va.,
airport is one of 13 rural communities that would
lose subsidies in the House bill.

On Tuesday, Reid told reporters, “The Essential Air
Service is a program that I believe in, but I also
believe that $3,500 per passenger is a little
extreme. That’s what Ely, Nevada is. And I do my best
to protect the state, but sometimes you have to be
reasonable.” But that was Tuesday. Now that the
Democrats liberal base is apoplectic over the
Democrats’ surrender on the debt deal, Reid has
changed his tune. Now $3,500 per passenger subsidies
are no longer extreme, they are essential. Killing
over 70,000 jobs to protect rural air pork is an
interesting way for Democrats to begin their pivot to
jobs creation

Progressive drumbeat for government shutdown grows
Buried beneath all the headlines about a “deal” or
“agreement” to end the Federal Aviation
Administration shutdown is the fact that the Senate
Democrats flat out caved to House Republicans. Again.
All that actually happened yesterday was that
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced that
the Senate would pass the temporary House FAA funding
bill by voice vote. This is the exact same bill that
Sens. Reid, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., John Rockefeller,
D-W.Va., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. all said they
couldn’t support just this Wednesday. Boxer
explained:

The fact is, when you look back at their threats to
shut down the entire government — remember that? —
unless they got tax breaks for the rich, followed by
holding the full faith and credit of this government
hostage to their desires to cut government spending —
and now here we are a third time. I hope the American
people wake up. This is their modus operandi:
Government by crisis that they make up. Government by
hostage taking. Government by threat.

Boxer’s sentiment is shared widely among progressives
in and outside of Congress. House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., similarly hinted at a
shutdown yesterday. Now even establishment liberals
like The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart are
urging President Obama to shut the government down
during next month appropriations fight.

The progressive base is tired of seeing their leaders
get pushed around. Their leaders are tired of being
pushed. But will Democrats in elected office actually
have the guts to shut down the federal government
till they win? Especially at a time that markets are
tanking, unemployment is high, and economists are
predicting a double-dip recession? The brief FAA
shutdown suggests not.

It figures, one of the only government functionaries which makes money and assures transportation safety and it is allowed to languish.

Cut the TSA’s budget instead.