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37 I s s u e s N A T I O N A L A I R T R A F F I C C O N T R O L L E R S A S S O C I A T I O N | W W W . N AT C A . O R G N i W To d a y ISSUE In terms of air traffic control (ATC) technology, the FAA is lagging behind in efforts to maintain its cur- rent technology, modernize outdated technology, and upgrade its rapidly aging physical infrastructure. The FAA has been criticized in the past for its management of NextGen, but those critics often fail to see the full picture. NATCA and our members have been collab- orating with the FAA to implement modernization programs for the past 15 years. We take great pride in our role as a partner in testing, developing, and implementing important modernization programs. We have had many successes, and we anticipate many more as we work with the FAA to ensure that we are strategic in the prioritization of resources allocated to these programs. Although NATCA is pleased that Congress averted a government shutdown on March 8 when it passed and the president signed the appropriations bill that will provide for the FAA's F&E budget at a $3.19 billion funding level through the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, we believe this should be a steppingstone to an increased, robust F&E budget for FY 2025 and beyond. The FAA's F&E budget has not kept pace with inflation over the past 15 years. In FY 2009, the F&E budget was $2.942 billion. It subsequently was lower than that in each fiscal year through 2017, before it peaked at $3.3 billion in 2018. However, since then it has remained hovering around $3 billion. Estimating for a modest 2% average annual inflation rate over the last 15 years, the FAA's F&E budget should be over $3.8 billion based on its 2009 budget. Even when the FAA is not facing the threat of a shutdown, multiple administrations from both parties have submitted insufficient FAA budget requests to Congress. The FAA's requests have often fallen well short of the resources need to meet the full needs of the National Airspace System (NAS). Historically, Congress has consistently met the Agency's stated need through both authorization of top-line numbers and the annual appropriations process. However, because the FAA consistently requested insufficient funding, there are significant backlogs of NAS sustainment and ATC facility sustainment, in addition to mounting delays in the implementation of NAS modernization and system improvements, as well as ATC tower and radar facility replacement. That backlog will worsen if FAA continues to submit annual budget requests that do not reflect its true budgetary needs moving forward. This loss of spending and buying power for modernization and infrastructure programs over the past 15 years has forced the FAA into a "fix-on- fail" model by requiring it to prioritize mandatory costs such as subscription services and leases, basic ATC facility sustainment, salaries, travel, and major support contracts, along with NAS sustainment. This prioritization leaves little to no money for important programs such as ATC facility replacement, the NAS facility sustainment backlog, the NAS sustainment backlog, NAS improvements, radar and surveillance sustainment and replacement, and Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and Terminal Radar Approach Control facility (TRACON) consolidation, just to name a few. In order to meet all of it's capital needs, FAA's own analysis indicates that the F&E budget must be approximately $6 billion for FY 2025 and will approach $8 billion in the near future. Even if funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) theoretically could help fill the funding gaps in FY 2025, that was not IIJA's intended purpose and the FAA still would experience significant budgetary shortfalls. In the coming years, the FAA will face unprecedented technological challenges. If not integrated properly, the continued development and rapid proliferation of advanced air mobility, drones, and other new entrants could jeopardize NAS safety and efficiency. NATCA must be involved in all discussions surrounding the safe and efficient integration of new entrants and emerging technologies. PROGRAM PRIORITIES AND NEEDS NATCA's top priorities include maintaining and up- grading our air traffic automation platforms, surveil- lance systems, and Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system across all en route and terminal facilities, which deliver flight plan and surveillance information to controllers on a real-time basis. These programs are the foundational systems that keep our aviation system operating safely every day. Our top priorities also include replacing the antiquated automation platform that supports Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska, as well as the continued operability and future en- hancement of long-range radar surveillance. In addition, NATCA remains concerned about the development, testing, and deployment of airport F U L L B AC KG R O U N D Issue

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