how much have we spent on nextgen? eram is not the whole nextgen program. how much has been spent on the whole nextgen program so far? and how much is going to be spent before it is fully implemented? i'm wondering if anybody can answer that question. i guess it's almost an impossible question. and i know that this is a difficult thing. i know everything looks easy from a difference -- distance. >> we have been spending a rate about one putting dollars per year and -- >> on sir, i didn't hear. >> we've been spending at a rate at about $1 billion a year investment with the support of this congress in nextgen. and we, in the federal investment, and eram, over its program that we have planned out, 20, $27 billion expenditure. that does not include -- >> 27 billion? >> yes. that does not include what industry invests in equipping their aircraft and everything that would be associated with that. from our standpoint we are managing this program as a series of building blocks. we have six foundational technologies, andrea baselines and all are operating within the

we cannot implement nextgen alone.e are going through the air traffic control system and what actions we need to take first to produce the best results. we are working hand-in-hand with oliver aviation stakeholders. this communication is critical because it helps us a line our work with what will produce the best results for the traveling public now. as this committee will notice, it is vital to our economy and contributes 10 million jobs and $1.3 trillion annually to her nation's economy. it will help make sure that these contributions continue for years to come. i will stop here and allow michael to give you more details. thank you for your support of america's aviation system and for keeping this economic engine running at full throttle. >> the administrator and members of the subcommittee, as you just heard from the secretary, nextgen is happening now. this is not something we are doing alone. it is a public and private partnership that will enhance the safety of her and lay the groundwork for the united states to

the nextgen advisory committee has been an outstanding job of simplifying of what nextgen really is. using satellite approaches using this technology to reduce voice communications for voice restoration or frequencies. that is what nextgen is as we move forward as a short-term in the near term. we have heard a lot about the equipment and the ram. collaboration is key for anything the work and life. but in 2009 when randy babbitt took over, and one the secretary ray lahood was concerned, we were not involved in it at all. at that time, it was over budget and was not supporting any facilities around the country. it was in january 2010 where we actually started to get involved and that it was unacceptable and unsafe to run an air traffic control facilities. through hard work and collaboration, through the passion of our control of being involved, we are proud to say hopefully we need to note that in 2003, in 2009 it wasn't even close to being finished. in two short years, we have brought it to buy facilities and we are working hard and very importantly, we are working to get eram involv

federal reserve chairman ben bernanke has testified that the nextgen impact of higher -- the negative impact of higher trawsms on a infrastructure dill -- higher taxes on a fragile economy. it makes it difficult to plan, take risks, and make decisions to expand and hire. tax certainty must be a priority in creating a pro-growth environment. in the words of prime minister thatcher, "there is no alternative." even president obama has acknowledged the negative impact of tax increases on economic growth, saying that you shouldn't raise taxes in a recession. you remember, he campaigned on tax increases in 2008. but before he was even sworn in he warned the people that we can't have that tax increase now because we're in a recession. nevertheless, nearly every day our president is on the campaign trail in 2010 -- in 2012 talking about tax increases on the so-called rich claiming them to pay their fair shaimplet but i've never had a definition from the president of the united states of what a fair share is. however, the so-called rich already pay overwhelming majority of federal taxes. do yo