A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/565556
CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE : Both the House and Senate have adjourned for August recess, and will return after Labor Day. With both chambers out of town, things are relatively quiet. September will be packed with several priorities, including: funding the federal government by Septe mber 30, extending the debt ceiling, dealing with sequestration, and approving a FAA Reauthorization extension. CONTINUED UNPREDICTABLE, UNSTABLE FUNDING FOR FAA : September 30, which marks the end of the fiscal year, will be packed with legislative deadl ines, which highlight the continuing concerns NATCA has about the lack of stable and predictable funding for the FAA. Continuing Resolution (CR) will need to be enacted to authorize government funding beyond September 30 to avoid a government shutdown; F AA Extension : Since the FAA Reauthorization bill will not be enacted by September 30, we will need a short term FAA Reauthorization extension to authorize FAA funding and avoid a partial shutdown of the FAA; Sequestration : The implementation of sequestrati on cuts will commence throughout government agencies, including the FAA, if funding addressing the required sequester budget caps is not enacted by October 1. Debt Ceiling Increase : Treasury Secretary Lew has told Congress that we will reach the debt cei ling sometime at the end of October. Increasing the debt ceiling has been a contentious issue for the past four years, contributing to the shutdown brinkmanship. SHUTDOWN/CR : The fiscal year ends on September 30, which is the deadline for Congress to fin ish votes and passage on its annual appropriations spending bills. At this time, a continuing resolution (CR) is almost a certainty to fund the government beyond September 30. The expectation is that Congress would pass a three month CR that would require action sometime in December. A CR would fund the government at current funding levels and allow Congress to continue to work on appropriations bills. Several partisan issues, such as the effort to defund Planned Parenthood, are likely to affect CR negotia tions. Government affairs staff will continue our meetings on the Hill to address the detrimental effects of a government shutdown to the NAS. SEQUESTRATION UPDATE : Now that Speaker Boehner has made it clear that he anticipates at least one CR, it seems less likely that a sequester compromise will be completed before the end of the fiscal year. Sequestration has been used as a tool to reduce the federal budget, and in 2013, the measure drastically cut the FAA budget and caused furloughs at the FAA. NATCA is continuing to work with members of Congress and their respective staffs on this issue and reminding them of the affect it had on the aviation system in 2013, and making clear that if sequestration cuts are implemented, the cuts will be larger than in 2 013. We will keep you updated on these important issues. FAA REAUTHORIZATION : The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee has continued working on the FAA bill. September is going to be a very busy time due to the convergence of the debt ceiling, end of the fiscal year, and continued need to resolve the Highway bill. At this time, it is likely that the T&I committee will have to focus their efforts on the Highway bill which will push FAA Reauthorization back beyond September. Government Af fairs continues to work with the committee staff on this issue and will provide updates as we know them. NATCA continues to work with the committee staff to ensure that our core issues are addressed in the FAA Reauthorization bill. NATCA President Paul Rin aldi and EVP Trish Gilbert have made it clear that