Han Solo isn’t just fighting the Dark Side of the Force anymore — he’s also fighting sequestration.
‘Star Wars’ actor Harrison Ford made the trek from Los Angeles to Washington — not to campaign for a Death Star, sadly — but to warn Congress of the consequences of the sequestration.
Ford, a pilot, focused on aviation during his trip to Washington, specifically on how 200 air traffic control towers at small airfields across the country could shut down due to budget cuts.
“It’s not the only political cause that I invest in, but it’s one that’s very important,” Ford told POLITICO.
The U.S. House General Aviation Caucus co-chair, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), invited the actor to speak before the caucus on Tuesday. Ford also visited Washington in 2011, to speak on a roundtable at the Senate General Aviation Caucus.
“The issue that concerns me, the most important issue to me right now, is the closure of some 200 contract towers and the impact that will have on safety,” Ford told the legislators. “The consequences of this are vast.”
He called on the Federal Aviation Administration to find room in “in their very large budget” to keep the towers from closing.
“The impact on jobs and the economy is huge,” he said in front of the caucus.
But while the actor traveled all the way to D.C. because of the threat of sequestration cuts, he says he has no qualms with Congress or the President on how they’ve handled the sequester thus far.
“I think everybody is trying to do the best they can to make it work,” Ford told POLITICO.
Hopefully, he didn’t quiz Obama on his ‘Star Wars’ trivia during the visit.
