Transportation secretary warns of airport closures and major delays due to sequester

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood laid out the likely impact of the sequester on the nation's air travel, and there's a lot not to like. Because the Federal Aviation Administration would be forced to furlough "the vast majority" of its employees for one or two days per pay period, more than 100 air control towers at small airports might be forced to close entirely. Fewer air traffic controllers on duty at larger airports, meanwhile, mean:

• Flights to major cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco could experience delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because we will have fewer controllers on staff.
• Delays in those major airports will ripple across the country.

That means airlines are likely to cut flights. Runway equipment maintenance and repair could also be affected, creating still more sources of delays.

And of course, all of these delays and inconveniences in the lives of non-federal workers will come because of pay cuts of up to 20 percent for, in the case of the FAA, nearly 47,000 workers. That will have a ripple effect on the economy as they cut back on their regular spending, affecting stores and restaurants in their communities. All because Republicans are pushing cuts cuts cuts with no revenue increases to balance them out, against the will of the American people.