NATCA Bookshelf

48 R e f e r e n c e s N A T C A I N W A S H I N G T O N 2 0 2 4 N i W To d a y Q & A more than a month. It also was disastrous for more than 3,000 NATCA-represented FAA employees who were furloughed without pay. Congress and the White House must not allow another shutdown to happen. n The shutdown eroded layers of safety within the NAS. Many safety activities that proactively reduce risk and increase the safety of the system were suspended. The NAS was less safe during the shutdown and in the months after it ended than before it began. n NATCA worked collaboratively with the FAA to bring safety processes back online that were suspended because of the shutdown, but it is harder to restart these programs and processes than it is to shut them down. n The shutdown reinforced our strong belief that the status quo is broken. The constant funding crises that arise from a stop-and-go funding stream continue to wreak havoc on the NAS and perpetuate controller staffing and training challenges. n The NAS requires a stable and sufficient funding stream to adequately support air traffic control services, staffing, hiring and training, long-term modernization projects, preventative maintenance, ongoing modernization to the physical infrastructure, integration of new entrants, and the timely implementation of modernization projects. How did the 35-day government shutdown affect hiring, staffing, and training? n The FAA Training Academy in Oklahoma City was closed during the shutdown, and it took the FAA several weeks to restart those classes after the shutdown ended. n The FAA suspended hiring and training for all new hires. Controller advanced skills classes also were canceled throughout the shutdown. n Initially, the FAA's hiring target for FY 2019 was 1,431, but following the shutdown, the Agency reduced its target to 907. D E B T C E I L I N G C R I S I S What was the Debt Ceiling and how could a default have negatively affected the FAA and NATCA members? n The gap between federal revenues and existing financial commitments is financed by issuing federal debt. The U.S. Treasury does this by selling various kinds of debt securities (such as bonds) to investors. Congress created the debt limit by statute, which places a constraint on the amount of money that the U.S. Treasury may borrow to fund federal obligations. n On June 3, 2023, Congress passed, and the president signed a bill that suspended the debt limit until January 1, 2025, and cap discretionary spending during FY 2024 and FY 2025. n The United States has never defaulted on its debt. In the event of a future default, the effect on NATCA members would depend on how Congress deals with the resulting appropriations restrictions. After the 2011 debt ceiling debate, Congress enacted legislation that resulted in sequestration and tremendously disruptive save-money furloughs. n Much like with an impending threat of shutdown due to lapse in appropriations and/or authorization, NATCA will continue to educate Congress about how damaging and disruptive such crises are to the NAS, and we will continue to advocate for what is best for all of our members and the NAS. S E Q U E ST R AT I O N How did sequestration affect the FAA? n When it went into effect in 2013, sequestration resulted in furloughs for the workforce and created the potential for closures or reductions in service hours at many facilities.

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