When airplanes require repairs overseas, foreign repair stations are commissioned to perform those duties. Foreign repairs, however, are not required to meet the same safety quality standards as are domestic repairs. During the Senate's consideration of legislation to reauthorize spending for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced an amendment which would have required the FAA administrator to insure that U.S. airplanes receive repairs in foreign countries of equal quality to domestic repairs. Progressives supported Specter's proposal as a way to insure the safety of U.S. passengers when repairs are conducted overseas. During debate on the Specter proposal, Senator Trent Lott (R-MI) offered an emasculating amendment which would have only required the FAA administrator to conduct a study of foreign repair stations; the FAA administrator would not be required to certify that those stations provided the same quality of service repairs on U.S. airplanes as specified in the Specter proposal. In the view of Progressives, foreign airplane repairs should be required to meet U.S. safety standards and they opposed the Lott amendment on those grounds. Senator Lott's proposed changes to the Specter amendment were defeated by a 42-52 vote margin.