When it comes to dampening the effects of the sequester Washington could not find common ground on cancer patients, disabled veterans, and seniors facing travel hardship. But rich frequent flyers? No problem. Somehow the cool saucer of the Senate that can not seem to ever get anything done from guns to immigration sprang in to action \u2013 TARP style \u2013 to make sure their jet setting constituents\/donors would not have to wait.<\/p>\n
The Senate passed a bill on Thursday evening to end air traffic controller furloughs caused by the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester that have been blamed for mounting flight delays across the country.<\/p>\n
The passage of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), capped a day of scrambling that saw lawmakers alternate between trying to pass a quick legislative fix for the air traffic controllers\u2019 furloughs and point fingers at each other for the flight delays they caused.<\/p>\n
The rich can not be inconvenienced.<\/p>\n
The lurch toward a legislative fix to the mounting flight delays came as airlines reported Thursday that 16,000 people had sent comments to Congress and the Obama administration calling for a resolution to the air traffic controller furloughs<\/p>\n
Wow, 16,000 comments from the public. That\u2019s all it usually takes to break a deadlock in the Senate.<\/p>\n