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 28 28 28 28 ISSUES FAA Funding Requires Robust Authorization and Appropriations Levels Issue u Quick Reference 1 One of the most serious challenges facing the FAA is a lack of adequate funding, as a result of the Agency's annual budget requests not meeting all of its needs, which jeopardizes the safety, efficiency, and capacity of the NAS. How This Issue Affects NATCA Members Disruptions to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding and significant budgetary shortfalls create a more stressful, less productive work environment for all aviation safety professionals. Funding shortfalls have and will continue to delay the implementation of vital modernization technology, sustainment and repair of existing safety-critical equipment, and the hiring and training of new controllers and other aviation safety professionals. Historically, government shutdowns – even threatened shutdowns – related to the expiration of appropriations or FAA authorization, disrupt and delay critical modernization and safety programs, while also creating uncertainty and stress for NATCA members about when they will be paid for working during a shutdown. Congress has historically provided the funding requested by the FAA. However, those budget requests often have fallen short of what is needed and have not kept up with inflation. This has been especially true for the Agency's F&E budget, which funds modernization programs and infrastructure sustainment and improvement throughout the NAS. 2 NATCA supports the FAA's FY 2025 F&E budget request, which acknowledges the Agency's true need and proposes a new Facility Replacement and Radar Modernization fund that would dedicate $8 billion over the next five years – beginning with $1 billion in FY 2025 – to replace or modernize aging ATC facilities. 3 NATCA urges the FAA to request – and for the 119th Congress to provide – adequate funding through the annual appropriations process, particularly for the Agency's Operations and F&E budgets for the remainder of FY 2025 and beyond. Reduced funding, or even flat funding, would undermine the safety, efficiency, and capacity of the NAS. 4

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