A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/1016075
FAA BUDGET LINE FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2019 Enacted House THUD Senate THUD Operations $10.2 billion $10.4 billion $10.4 billion Facilities & Equipment $3.25 billion $3.25 billion $3.00 billion Research, Engineering & Development $188.9 billion $180 billion $191 billion FAA REAUTHORIZATION UPDATE The Senate FAA bill has been on hold since being approved by its relevant committee (the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee) last year. While the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Leadership have indicated that the bill could come up at any time, there has been little progress due to a wide range of disagreements between the m ajority and m inority parties. It is growing increasingly unlikely that the Senate will consider the long - term FAA Reauthorization bill in August. If consideratio n is delayed until September, the chances for another FAA extension increase, since the Senate's legislative calendar will become even more packed in advance of the mid - term elections. Finally, Senate Republican leadership is spending a significant amount of time and energy working to generate support and confirm President Trump's nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, to the U.S. Supreme Court. Background : The current FAA Reauthorizatio n extension expires on Sept. 30. If a long - term bill is not signed into law before then, another extension will be necessary in order to avoid a partial FAA shutdown. The House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, in April by a vote of 393 - 13. The five - year, bipartisan bill authorizes $71 billion for the op erations, F&E and RED accounts at the FAA from Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 through FY 2023. During this year's NATCA in Washington , participants asked their Senators to urge Senate leadership to complete action on a long - term FAA reauthorization bill. NATCA Imp act : NATCA supports H.R. 4, as passed in the House, and has been meeting with Senators and staff on the Senate side to urge quick passage of a long - term reauthorization for the FAA. NATCA continues to highlight the need for a stable, predictable funding st ream that adequately supports the following: air traffic control services, staffing, hiring and training, long - term modernization projects, preventative maintenance, ongoing modernization to the physical infrastructure, and the timely implementation of Nex tGen modernization projects. LEGISLATIVE WATCHLIST President Trump and the Administration continue to issue executive actions that adversely impact federal employees. Likewise, members of Congress have and will continue to introduce anti - federal employee bills, including those that would attack the use of official time and negatively impact federal employee pay and benefits. In addition to keeping a close watch on legislation that is introduced, Government Affairs staff is tracking congressional hearings that are relevant to our membership. POLITICAL UPDATE