Senator blames Bush for delay on FAA privatization deal

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., accused the White House Wednesday of obstructing an agreement reached by Republicans and Democrats on the conference report reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration by refusing to agree to a moratorium on privatizing air traffic control towers.

A bipartisan group of senators asked the FAA last week to impose a one-year moratorium on privatizing towers. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey appeared to agree Tuesday, saying that the administration "has no plans to privatize the nation's air-traffic control system." But senators said they still had not received a letter from Blakey by Wednesday night.

Lautenberg, who is filibustering the reauthorization, said Wednesday that the administration was the only party that had not agreed to the moratorium. Employee unions have said they support it, and Lautenberg said specific air carriers had come out in favor of the deal.

"There is clear consensus in the Senate that a privatization ban is necessary--even if only temporary," Lautenberg said. "The only people stopping the Senate from passing the FAA bill are the ideologues in the White House."