Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, ranking member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, issued the following statement today regarding flight delays due to the sequester-caused furloughs of air traffic controllers across the nation:

“Air passengers across the country are today joining kids who are being turned away from Head Start and seniors being waitlisted for Meals on Wheels as the latest victims of the unnecessary and reckless impacts of the sequester.

“Nobody wants these delays, but the Federal Aviation Administration must manage the airspace safely while the sequester requires air traffic controllers to be furloughed.

“There’s a lot finger-pointing going on, but the simple truth is that it is Congress’s job to fix this. Flight delays are just the latest example of how the sequester is damaging the economy and hurting families across the country. Congress needs to replace the entire sequester with a smart and balanced deficit reduction plan.”