Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) said she found Republican accusations of apparent political manipulation at the FAA over air traffic controller furloughs "galling" Friday on "Martin Bashir."
However, despite the congresswoman's objections to charges of political manipulation at the FAA, Schakowsky revealed she did support the bipartisan compromise to avert the furloughs:
MARTIN BASHIR: [...] But if you delay a congressman at the airport, then legislation passes at twice the speed of sound. Are you proud to be a part of a body like that?
JAN SCHAKOWSKY: Well, what was particularly galling about this debate is that somehow the Republicans seemed to act like it was political manipulation that these flights were delayed and that there are no real life consequences to the sequester, that you can cut billions and billions of dollars in the way of a meat ax from the budget and nothing at all happens to inconvenience them or anyone else. And you're absolutely right. You know, I voted for that because I think that we don't want the airlines to be delayed and we don't want [air] traffic controllers to be sequestered, I mean to get furloughed. [...]
Whistleblowers inside the FAA have reported in recent days management was pressuring union employees to all take the same furlough day to disrupt air travel.
Additional reports also indicate FAA officials would have had several budgetary options at their disposal to avoid furloughing air traffic controllers.