A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/1067228
NATCA NATIONAL OFFICE DEPARTMENTAL UPDATE Dec. 9-31, 2018 GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE: The House and Senate have adjourned until the new year. The partial government shutdown, which includes a shutdown of the FAA, began at midnight on Friday, Dec. 21 and is expected to last longer into 2019. The new 116 th Congress will convene on Jan. 3, 2019, and Democrats will take over control of the House, while Republicans will remain in control of the Senate and the White House. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TO CONTINUE: Roughly a quarter of the government shut down on midnight on Friday, Dec. 21, when a government funding bill was not passed to fund those agencies and departments, including the FAA. (Note: the FAA advised NATCA that it had sufficient funds available in the operations budget [Ops] to continue both excepted and non-excepted operations activities through Dec. 23 at midnight; thus the FAA shutdown began at midnight on Dec. 24.) Disagreement over funding for a proposed border wall has stalled the funding debate. NATCA continues to work with members of Congress and staff on a number of fronts to ensure they are aware of the negative impact a shutdown has on the National Airspace System (NAS) and will keep you updated as the government shutdown continues. Advocacy Campaign Launched: NATCA is doing everything in our power to educate our elected officials about the damage the shutdown is causing and encouraging Congress to end the shutdown immediately. NATCA has launched an aggressive advocacy campaign that will roll out over the next couple of weeks to highlight the negative affects the government shutdown has on the NAS. The first step of the advocacy campaign is an email. This link will take you to a website that will send an email from you to your elected officials. (https://actionnetwork.org/letters/2018decfurlough) Ask your spouse, family members, friends, neighbors, and everyone in your contact list to follow the link so that they can also send emails. Stay tuned for more updates on the advocacy campaign. FAA Funding: The FAA receives funding via the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. The Agency is currently operating under a CR that provides funding at the Fiscal Year (FY 2018) funding levels. A new, FY 2019 funding bill for THUD was not enacted into law by the start of the new fiscal year on October 1. Below is a chart that shows the current funding levels for the FAA ("FY 2018 Enacted") and what has been proposed in the House and Senate appropriations committees for FY 2019.