NATCA Bookshelf

N A T C A I N W A S H I N G T O N 2 0 2 5 N i W To d a y 46 46 46 46 REFERENCES Q & A What is the status of sequestration? Is sequestration still a problem for NATCA? n Congress passed legislation that avoided sequestration in recent years. Moreover, because the law that implemented sequestration expired at the end of FY 2021, sequestration is no longer an imminent threat. n However, sequestration was a major concern for NATCA, and its effects are still being felt, especially in the areas of controller staffing challenges and delays to modernization programs. Nextgen The NextGen office is being sunset as of Dec. 31, 2025, as directed in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. As of Jan. 1, 2026, the FAA Administrator will establish the Airspace Modernization Office (AMO). The AMO will be responsible for the research and development, systems engineering, enterprise architecture, and portfolio management for the continuous modernization of the national airspace system. What is NextGen? n NextGen describes a comprehensive collection of modernization programs and projects that is shifting the FAA from its current ground-based radar system to a smarter, satellite-based aircraft tracking system and digital technologies, along with new procedures that is making air travel more efficient, predictable, and environmentally friendly. n NextGen improvements enable the FAA to guide and track aircraft more precisely on more direct routes. NextGen is producing efficiencies that enhance safety, reduce delays, save fuel, and reduce aircraft exhaust emissions. n NextGen and other modernization programs are vital to preserving the United States as the world's leader in aviation. This is important due to the significant contribution aviation makes to our economy. Does NATCA support NextGen? n Yes. NATCA and the FAA continue to work on the development and implementation of modernization programs under the NextGen umbrella. n NATCA representatives who work on modernization programs use official time to work collaboratively with the FAA to modernize the system. These efforts are vital to the successful development and implementation of NextGen. n We take great pride in our role as a partner on the leading edge of modernization. What is the status of NextGen? n For NextGen to be successful, the FAA needs a stable and sufficient funding stream. n Many modernization programs have been delayed over the years due to budgetary shortfalls and an unstable, insufficient funding stream. n The 35-day government shutdown from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, also halted all FAA modernization programs, causing significant delays and wasting critical resources and federal taxpayer money. The FAA and NATCA continue to work together to keep these programs on track. n Sequestration, the resulting April 2013 furloughs, and the October 2013 government shutdown created needless delays in the development, design, and implementation of NextGen and increased costs in these key modernization programs for our aviation system. n Despite these challenges, the FAA and NATCA have achieved several successes on NextGen projects including ERAM, DataComm, Metroplex, and a fast-tracked surface surveillance situational awareness tool.

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