Buffalo, New York- July 1, 2010 – In response to his home-state Senator Jim DeMint turning what should have been a routine thirty day FAA Extension into a slick political maneuver, Scott Maurer of Moore, South Carolina, who lost his thirty year old daughter Lorin in the crash of Continental Flight 3407, issued this statement on behalf of the members of he ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’:
“Thanks to Senator DeMint, today was not a step in the right direction for this bill and its numerous initiatives to make our skies safer and prevent a repeat of Flight 3407. Although on the surface he said all the right things and his comments and press release make him appear to be the number one champion for our group and for safety, his actions ring hollow for my wife, myself, and the rest of our group. If he truly was all about safety first, it would have meant so much more to us if he recognized our passionate efforts by actually being there to vote for the FAA Bill when the Senate passed it back in March.”
“At the very time when we need both parties to come together and resolve their differences, this just served to drive people apart. Senator Dorgan has been just an absolute champion for our group and today Senator DeMint tried to portray him as an obstacle to these safety provisions. It is extremely disappointing to see that.”
“Senator Rockefeller and Senator Hutchison have been fair and balanced in working together throughout this whole process. When Senator Hutchison did not approve of some of the elements of the passenger rights portion of the bill, she made her point but accepted the consensus of her colleagues – in short, she recognized the bigger picture with this bill. Likewise we know there will be provisions in the final bill that each and every member will have issues with. But please do not lose sight of the bigger issue of safety, and the fifty lives that were lost, and the countless more that will be lost, if we do not pass not only these safety provisions, but also the implementation of NextGen and numerous other measures aimed to make air travel safer.”
“As I always do, I come back to my daughter Lorin, who I miss dearly every single day. We have tried to honor her memory, and the memory of all the victims, by making something positive come out of this horrible tragedy. As this bill comes down to the end, our patience is gone, and we will not hesitate to call members out if they are obstructing the process.”