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Statement on the Report of the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry

August 19, 1993

Today I received with great interest and enthusiasm the report of the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry. For the past 3 months, Governor Baliles and his colleagues have worked tirelessly to identify ways to revive this critical industry. The Commission has done its work well.

Now my administration and the Congress must take the next steps to ensure that Government policy encourages a prosperous airline industry. Aviation provides high-wage jobs and is a leading exporter of American products and services. In the past, this industry has provided good jobs for millions of Americans, while meeting and beating our competition abroad. In recent years, however, both airlines and aerospace manufacturers have suffered financial losses and have laid off some of our most skilled and productive workers.

We have already taken the first and most important steps toward strengthening the aviation industry. This sector's problems are intertwined with our Nation's broader economic challenges. By reducing the deficit and providing incentives for economic expansion, the recently enacted budget creates the climate for economic growth that is a precondition for the revival of aviation.

The Commission's report recommends several additional steps to achieve an air transport system that is efficient, technologically superior, and financially strong. Under the leadership of Transportation Secretary Federico Pena and Council of Economic Advisers Chair Laura Tyson, my administration will consider these proposals and develop an administration plan. We will work with Congress to respond to the industry's problems in a manner consistent with our deficit reduction and economic goals.

I look forward to meeting with Governor Baliles and the Commission members upon my return to Washington.

William J. Clinton, Statement on the Report of the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/217797

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