A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/575032
government once this year's fund ing ends on September 30. But, with the P apal visit and observance of Jewish holidays, Congress is scheduled to be in session for fewer than five full days before October 1, the day a shutdown would take effect. ONCE AGAIN – THREAT OF A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOW N: The clock is ticking as members of Congress work to provide funding for the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 before the September 30 deadline. A continuing resolution (CR) will be necessary at this point, which would temporarily fund the gov ernment at current funding levels. Right now, both Republicans and Democrats are saying they oppose a government shutdown, but so far no concrete plan has been released and federal agencies are bracing for a possible funding lapse. At issue is the conserva tive anti - abortion agenda in the wake of negative press about Planned Parenth ood. See below for more details. Planned Parenthood Issue : Conservative members are vowing their opposition to any CR that would contain funding for Planned Parenthood due to nega tive undercover videos that have surfaced about the organization. In order to separate this issue from passing a CR and keeping the government funded, House Republican leaders have attempted to appease that faction of the caucus with two votes: one that wo uld freeze funding for Planned Parenthood for one year, and another that would strengthen protections for infants born alive during failed abortions. The hope is that bringing up these bills would dissuade conservative members from tying the issue to a gov ernment funding bill, and a "clean" CR would result. Scope and Timing of CR : In terms of actual timing before a government shutdown is triggered, House Republicans have until September 24th or 25th to introduce a CR. The Senate is not waiting on the House to act and has introduced its own version of a CR using an active House bill, which would include language to defund Planned Parenthood. That CR will almost certainly fail to get the votes necessary to move forward, and the Senate would then move on a CR without the Planned Parenthood language and vote on it late this week. The Senate CR extends spending authority until December 11. Once it passes, it will go to the House for consideration. This CR includes language extending FAA authori ty until March 31, 2016. Government affairs staff will continue our meetings on the Hill to address the detrimental effects of a government shutdown to the NAS, and will keep you updated as the details are forthcoming. Protecting Federal Employees During a Shutdown : On Sep tember 15, Sen. Cardin (D - MD) introduced a bill that would provide compensation for federal employees who are affected by a lapse in appropriations (a.k.a. a shutdown). Democrats in the House plan to introduce a similar bill soon. After the last shutdown i n October 2013, NATCA along with other members of the Federal Employees Coalition lobbied extensively on the issue and federal employees were eventually awarded backpay after Congress passed a measure to approve retroactive pay. However, that process was c hallenging and left federal employees uncertain if they would get paid. CONTINUED UNPREDICTABLE, UNSTABLE FUNDING FOR FAA : In addition to enacting a CR before the end of the month, September 30th has other important legislative deadl ines: FAA 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. More details on FAA Reauthorization are below.