DeLauro Disappointed By Closure of Tweed-New Haven Airport Tower

Will Cost Over 100 Jobs, Harm Long TermDevelopment

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) issued thefollowing statement today on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'sdecision to close 149 air traffic control towers. The closures are a result ofthe deeply harmful, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration.

"I am deeply disappointed with the FAA's decision to closethe Tweed-New Haven Airport Tower, as well as the others in Connecticut. Thereis no reason for people to be facing the loss of their livelihood. We shouldhave sat down and found a balanced agreement to stop these cuts before theyever started. But Congressional Republicans failed to respond to our repeatedentreaties to do so and the American public is now in the middle of thismanufactured crisis.

"People's lives will be seriously, negatively impacted bythis decision, in particular the over 100 individuals at Tweed who are facingpossible job loss. And this is a significant loss of public resources. Millionsof dollars have been invested in improving Tweed over the past five years andthe same FAA that made today's announcement has also said that Tweed isinstrumental to the future of aviation in New England and hoped to expand it.This is exactly the wrong direction for our community."