Cross-posted from Minnesota Progressive Project
Watergate informant Deep Throat urged Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to "follow the money" to uncover the truth about the Nixon White House. Those same words may hold the key that unlocks the mystery of why the House Republicans refuse to negotiate a compromise to the transportation bill.
The FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act contains two provisions that significantly benefit Delta Air Lines: the repeal of the National Mediation Board ruling that provides for fair union elections for airline employees and the elimination of the Essential Air Services(EAS)program.
A review of the most recent FEC filing reveals that Delta Air Lines PAC donated $46,000 to members of Congress since February, with a whopping $37,000 of it going to 24 House Republicans.
The big winners are House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH8) and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure member Candice Miller (R-MI10).
Boehner received a $5000 contribution from Delta on 4 April, just days after the 1 April passage of the Delta-favored transportation bill.
Miller also received $5000 from Delta PAC. Michigan is Delta's second largest hub.
Delta's other large contributions went to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT3) and Rep. LaMar Smith (R-TX21) who received $2500 and to Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL3) and Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8), each of whom received $2000.
Three co-sponsors of the House transportation bill received $1000 from Delta: Rep. Billy Long (R-MO7), Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA7) and Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL2). A fourth co-sponsor,Rep.Chip Cravaack,received $2000.
Cravaack is vice-chair of the aviation subcommittee of the House transportation committee and leads the EAS work group. He advocated against, and then cast the deciding vote to defeat, an amendment to strike the anti-union provision from the bill during markup. Cravaack also voiced strong opposition on the House floor to sending both the transportation bill and the FAA extension bill back to committee.
The $2000 contribution from Delta PAC is not the only money Cravaack has received from his former employer. The CEO of Delta Air Lines sent him a donation of $500 late last December.
In contrast to the $37,000 donated to House Republicans, Delta sent a total of only $7000 to House Democrats. All seven voted for the LaTourette amendment to strike the NMB repealer from the bill and all but one, John Barrow (R-GA12), voted against final passage.
Contributions to the Senate, which passed a transportation bill on 17 February that did not eliminate the EAS program or contain the NMB repealer, were sparse. Delta donated $1000 to only Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Roger Wicker (R-MS). Wicker is a member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Delta PAC also donated $2500 to the Bluegrass Committee and ERICPAC, both conservative PACs. Three of the House Republicans who received money from Delta (Scott, Long, Meehan) each received $5000 from ERICPAC in March, April and May.
Delta's $5000 donations to Boehner and Miller after passage of the House bill particularly stand out; the only contribution in this amount Delta made in 2009-10 was to the conservative 21st Century Majority fund.
Perhaps that's why the Republican leadership was so willing to shut down the FAA in order to get the Senate to agree to their Delta-friendly version of the transportation bill.