Lawmaker takes issue with FAA

Published: May 29, 2008

An Oklahoma senator is criticizing the Federal Aviation Administration for grounding 299 American Airlines MD-80 jets.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, said FAA inspectors were more concerned about covering themselves than American or passengers.

The decision to ground the jets because of what the FAA said were improperly installed wiring harnesses resulted in the cancellation of more than 3,000 American flights, stranding flyers and contributing to American's financial woes.

"A $100 million cost to shut that airplane down for something that was never, at any time, a safety factor,” Coburn said Tuesday at a town hall meeting at Tulsa Community College's Metro Campus.

"Never was there a risk for the flying public,” Coburn said. "Not once. And the FAA will tell you that. But they're chickens. Rather than doing the job right and what's best, we made a spectacle of American Airlines and we stranded people all across this country.”

A member of the audience became visibly angry when Coburn, who opposes blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants, said he could not support blanket deportation of all illegal immigrants, either.

"What do you so with the 16-year-old girl who speaks English better than I do and was raised an American, but her parents are illegal?” Coburn asked.

The woman said many Mexican women cross the border to have their children to have a claim to citizenship.

"I understand the phenomenon of anchor babies,” Coburn said. "But what about the child? What are we going to do with someone who doesn't speak Spanish, who are here because they're parents cross the border? Are we going to send them out?”

"They are the parents' responsibility,” the woman said.

The Associated Press

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