GOP tries to strip funding for Murtha airport

House Republicans are attempting to strip federal funding for a small, Pennsylvania airport supported by Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.).

Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) is currently on the House floor offering a “motion to recommit” the FAA authorization bill without any money for the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria airport.

Republicans have hammered Murtha for keeping the small airport afloat with expensive appropriations earmarks. The airport handles only a handful of flights a day, all to and from D.C., and was recently renamed after the Congressman. Campbell reportedly has the support of Republican leadership in the effort.

The Washington Post reported last month that Murtha has secured at least $150 million in federal funding for the airport:

The lawmaker, who uses the airport frequently during his campaigns, has steadily steered millions of taxpayer dollars to it to build a new terminal with a restaurant; a long, concrete runway sturdy enough to handle large jets; and a high-tech radar system usually reserved for international airports.

The airport’s passenger count has fallen by more than half in the past 10 years. When Johnstown native Bill Previte arrived on a recent morning, he lamented that his plane was half-empty and that the terminal was deserted.

“Doesn’t it seem kind of ridiculous to have a motorized carousel for the baggage claim when 15 people get off the airplane?” he said. “It’s obvious: There’s not enough population to justify this place.”

Murtha, who heads the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has fought for airport funding as a way to bring jobs to his congressional district, devastated by losses in the steel and coal industries.

The FBI is investigating the PMA Group, a defunct defense lobbying firm that had a close relationship with Murtha. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) has repeatedly asked the House to open an ethics investigation into Murtha’s earmarking practices, an effort that has so far been unsuccessful.