WASHINGTON —Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Wednesday after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed.
On Wednesday afternoon, Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina filed a bill in response to the recent Southwest and FAA flight cancellations and technology failures.
The bill, titled “Commercial Cabins for Cabinet Members, “would require the Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to only fly commercial, just like every other American, until the FAA reauthorization is completed. This should provide enough time to also investigate Southwest and the FAA, according to a media release.
According to Rep. Mace, "in the past six months Sec. Buttigieg has flown private approximately 20 times. So, until the issues with Southwest and the FAA are investigated and resolved, he and his staff should be required to fly commercial just like every other American. "
“If according to Sec. Buttigieg, on MSNBC on Wednesday, the FAA systems are constantly being updated, and if they’re so good, then why is he flying private all the time?” said Rep. Mace.
“Until we see the Southwest Airlines debacle investigated; until the FAA software glitches are fixed; and until we complete the FAA reauthorization later this year, the Secretary of Transportation should be required to fly commercial just like everyone else.”
Read the full text of the bill here Commercial Cabins for Cabinet Members Act