A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/1110049
appropriations bills by June 30. The key goal for this appropriations cycle will be to avoid minibuses, or smaller groupings of appropriations bills, which allow certain bills to move forward in the process while others lag behind. What ultimately led to the shutdown at the FAA starting in December 2018 was the fact that the THUD spending bill got combined with other, more controversial spending bills, which prevented the package from moving forward. NATCA IN WASHINGTON NATCA is gearing up for this year's annual lobby week, "NATCA in Washington (NiW)", on Capitol Hill. This year, NATCAvists will be in Washington, D.C., from May 19-22. During the conference, participants will visit their members of Congress to discuss important topics affecting the NATCA membership, including the recent 35-day government shutdown and air traffic controller staffing. Please visit the NiW website for more information. FAA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINATION In March, President Trump nominated Steve Dickson as the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). NATCA congratulates Dickson on the nomination and strongly supports his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. On April 11, President Trump sent Dickson's nomination to the U.S. Senate for consideration. If confirmed, Dickson would take the place of Acting Administrator Dan Elwell, who NATCA thanks for his leadership of the FAA during his tenure. LEGISLATIVE WATCHLIST NATCA GA staff continues to monitor any anti-federal employee legislation and other actions that impact the NATCA membership, including those that would attack federal employee pay and benefits. From the White House, President Trump will continue to drive his own legislative agenda and work to shore up political support from his base in preparation for the 2020 election. SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT April 8-14 Update FLOW EVALUATION TEAM (FET) Tony Smith (DCC) is the Article 114 Representative to the Flow Evaluation Team (FET) for Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). His report is below: The CDM/FET subgroup met March 26-28 at American Airlines headquarters in Irving, Texas, to continue work on all taskings assigned to the team. The Airspace Flow Programs (AFP) Strategies group reviewed how and when best to use TMI. The group has also been focusing on ways to improve the efficiency of the program by taking advantage of underutilized airspace. This is primarily done by modifying floors, ceiling, and route-out options.