The Politics Behind the F.A.A Shutdown

[waitingforcorrection: no audio attached, invalid GUID] We’ve talked a lot about Congressional gridlock and the debt ceiling this week.  But partisan fighting has affected more than just the debt limit.  Over the weekend, Congress failed to pass a funding extension for the Federal Aviation Administration, following a disagreement over cuts in subsidies. As a result,  the U.S. government was forced to suspend collection of federal airline taxes, at a loss of approximately $200 million per week. The F.A.A has had to furlough 4,000 employees, and airport modernization projects worth billions of dollars are now on hold. Congressman John Mica  is a Republican representative from Florida’s seventh district. He says the Democrats are to blame for the F.A.A shutdown, and he joins us from Washington.  Barbara Peterson, senior aviation correspondent for Condé  Nast Traveler, also joins us to explain the impact of this news on consumers.