Today, Rep. Mike Garcia (CA-27) sent a letter to House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen, as well as Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation Chairwoman Maria Cantwell and Ranking Member Ted Cruz encouraging increased enforcement of Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements (BASAs) in the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization.  BASAs are critical to protecting jobs in the Antelope Valley, and Congress must provide the FAA with the tools needed to ensure fair enforcement of these Agreements.

The letter said the following:

“As you know, the FAA regularly enters into Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements (BASAs) with other nations in order to grant reciprocity to aviation products certified by the respective regulatory bodies. This allows American products certified as safe by the United States to quickly enter foreign markets, increasing safety and expanding customer bases, which further incentivizes investments and advancements here at home. Unfortunately, foreign regulators are now failing to honor their BASAs with the FAA, causing delays, rejections, and added costs to these efforts.

“This is a great concern to my constituents.  A robust, American-based, aviation industry is of the utmost importance to our national security, travel safety, and the economy of my district. If foreign nations continue to ignore their BASAs, companies could be forced to move their production overseas in order to receive quicker certification. This would cause the loss of thousands of jobs in my district and threaten America’s long-held status as the worldwide leader in the development of aircraft technology.”

Click here to view the full letter.

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