To: Jim McMannis who wrote (133465 ) 4/23/2013 2:30:06 PM From: tejek Respond to FAA delays help Republicans reconsider sequestration They came up with the idea, then condemned it, then embraced it, then blamed President Obama for it, then celebrated it as a " victory ." The rhetorical trajectory of post-policy talking points can be a little confusing.This week, however, the GOP is back to not liking it . Political finger-pointing over Federal Aviation Administration furloughs intensified Monday, with congressional Republicans orchestrating a Twitter campaign aimed at blaming the Obama administration for flight delays. It's worth emphasizing that the effects are, at least so far, varied greatly by airport -- some cities saw major delays, some didn't -- but Republicans seem to believe conditions will deteriorate, and they apparently want to avoid the blame for the spending cuts they demanded and championed until very recently. a terrible toll on the nation -- hurting everything from the economy to cancer clinics , the military to education -- but so far, GOP lawmakers only seem to get worked up about White House tours and flight delays. asked the Huffington Post . "They affect [Congress'] members directly." explored the policy details and found the Republican arguments unpersuasive.The reasoning behind the FAA's decision to apply a one-day-every-two-weeks furlough to all 47,000 employees -- including 15,000 flight controllers -- is also not as simple or political as Republicans argue. The FAA has to cut $637 million from its budget before the end of September, with every account sliced by the same percent. The FAA's operations account, from which 71 percent of all payments goes to salary, can't avoid the chopping block. What's more, Glenn Kessler examined the same argument and said the Obama administration, not congressional Republicans, has the facts on its side.
