( CNN ) -- Air travelers across the country are breathing a sigh of relief that they might get to their destinations on time after Congress took action to roll back a part of the automatic spending cuts that forced furloughs on air traffic controllers . As someone with a 2,300-mile commute , I understand the frustration that travelers felt as delays tripled to nearly 9,000 by Thursday evening -- I am pleased air traffic controllers are back on the job full-time . I am not relieved , however , that Congress gave the Obama administration authority to end furloughs but has not yet done a single thing to help the many Americans who are suffering the consequences of these cuts . Congress made a Band-Aid fix when sequestration needs a triple-bypass surgery . In my district , and across the country , kids are being turned away from early education programs like Head Start . Children in military communities are being hit especially hard because federal dollars that support their schools have been slashed . And communities are reporting that funding cuts are forcing them to kick some seniors off Meals on Wheels . But it was business travelers and vacationers who took center stage last week , and it was for them alone that Congress acted . On Friday morning , just hours before many in Congress would head to the airport to catch flights home for a weeklong district work period , the House of Representatives voted to end the furloughs of air traffic controllers . Airline passengers can now count on more reliable service . But the kids in my district who are losing their school bus ca n't book a flight to class . When Congress passed sequestration , it was considered such an unthinkable option with such unfathomable consequences that it would have to be replaced . Members from both sides of the aisle gave long speeches about the harm that would come if we allowed the sequester to go into place unmodified . And yet Republicans seemed to be shocked , shocked , to find flight delays ripple through airports across the country . They ran to television cameras to point fingers at President Obama , saying these delays were preventable . I am not sure what they expected to happen . It would be irrational to expect that we can cut more than $ 600 million from the FAA budget in six months and not see effects on the flying public . Just as we should not expect that we can cut 4 million meals to seniors , as the White House reports , and not hurt them . Everyone in America who watched CNN last week learned the sequester has real consequences . While members of Congress are n't getting a lot of calls for 4-year-olds being turned away from Head Start programs , that does n't mean they do n't exist . Their voices may not be as loud as air travelers were last week , but their pain is greater . Congress can and should pass legislation that will replace the entire sequester with a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes spending cuts , reduction in future spending growth , and new revenues . Congress created this problem . We need to fix it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rick Larsen .
Rick Larsen : Congress helped air travelers , but not others suffering from sequester cuts . Larsen says Congress made a Band-Aid fix when sequestration needs surgery . Larsen : Head Start cut , military community schools hurting , Meals on Wheels cut . Congress can fix this with a balanced approach of spending cuts , new revenues , he says .