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REFERENCES 46 NiW Today NATCA in Washington 2026 Glossary 35-Day Government Shutdown At the time, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history eroded the critical layers necessary to support and maintain the safety of the National Airspace System (NAS). The shutdown began at midnight Dec. 22, 2018, and lasted until Jan. 25, 2019. NATCA works hard to mitigate distractions and reduce fatigue in our workforce, but the shutdown increased fatigue and introduced unnecessary risk. Even though the NAS was safer after the shutdown ended than it was during the shutdown, it took considerable time for the system to return to the normal safety level as compared to before the shutdown began. 43-Day Government Shutdown During the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, air traffic controllers and other excepted aviation safety professionals continued to step up for the flying public and each other. These dedicated professionals performed their safety-critical functions at the highest level despite operating 3,800 fully- certified controllers short of the FAA's operational staffing target. Unlike previous shutdowns, the FAA's controller hiring and training pipeline remained open, including training at the FAA Academy and on-the-job training within facilities. Likewise, the FAA continued supporting modernization, safety, and infrastructure programs throughout the shutdown. However, during this shutdown, controllers and other aviation safety professionals received one partial paycheck and then missed two consecutive full paychecks. That situation created substantial distractions, such as financial and mental strain, which increased risks in the NAS and made the system less safe with each passing day. Administrative Furlough A discretionary ("save money" or "non-emergency") furlough. It involves the placing of an employee in a temporary non-duty, non-pay status because of a lack of work or funds, or for other non-disciplinary reasons. It is a planned event designed to absorb reductions necessitated by downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any other event that requires the Agency to save money. This kind of furlough is "non-emergency" in that the FAA has sufficient time to reduce spending and therefore give adequate notification of its specific furlough plan and how many furlough days or hours will be required for each affected employee. (See also "Shutdown Furlough.") Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Much like Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), AAM is a new entrant aviation system that moves people and cargo using new aircraft designs that are integrated into existing airspace operations. The air traffic control system must evolve to support the safe and efficient integration of this technology and to accommodate a mix of crewed and unmanned aircraft in the NAS. Sufficient funding is necessary to ensure that the frontline controller workforce continues to be involved in all development, testing, and deployment of AAM and UAS integration. Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Trust Fund) The FAA is funded primarily by the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Trust Fund), which receives revenues from a series of excise taxes paid by users of the NAS. The Trust Fund was created in 1970 in an attempt to provide a dedicated source of funding for the NAS that is independent of the general treasury fund. Although the FAA still receives a variable amount of funding for operations and maintenance from the general treasury fund, in recent years, the Trust Fund has accounted for between 80-95 percent of the total appropriations for the FAA's operations budget and 100 percent of the FAA's other budgeted expenditures. Air Traffic Controller (ATC) Hiring Reform Act of 2019 (S.1148) Bipartisan legislation introduced by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), and Sen. John Hoeven (N.D.), helped improve the FAA's controller hiring process. NATCA strongly supported the ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019, which was signed into public law as part of S. 1790, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020 (Public Law No: 116-92). Air Traffic Organization (ATO) The operational arm of the FAA. The ATO is responsible for providing safe and efficient air navigation services for 30.2 million square miles of airspace. This represents more than 17 percent of the world's airspace and includes all of the United States and large portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. Airport Improvement Program (AIP) This program provides grants to public agencies and, in some cases, to private owners and entities, for the planning and development of public-use airports that

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