A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/587238
Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill, but it has not advanced to the Senate floor. The Senate bill would provide $16.011 billion for the FAA (compared with $15.855 in the House - passed version). NATCA has been working to ensure that the FAA is properly funded during these tough budget times. GA staff will continue to follow the appropriations process closely. SEQUESTRATION UPDATE: The current CR set to expire on December 11 did include across - t he - board spending cuts in order to meet the Budget Control Act caps, but the cuts were not significant. That being said, Congress will need to address the issue of sequestration before the December 11 deadline as it determines funding levels for FY 16. One option is that Congress reaches an agreement to do away with sequestration cuts. It could also kick the can down the road and enact a CR that would avoid detrimental sequestration cuts. Finally, the most damaging possibility would be that Republicans and Democrats are unable to reach a deal to provide FY 16 funding for the federal government, in which case the government would shut down. Sequestration at the FAA : Because the CR met the Budget Control Act budgetary caps, significant sequestration cuts were not triggered at the FAA. This means no furloughs or changes in current operations for the Agency through December 11. Background : As you know, sequestration has been used as a tool to reduce the federal budget, and in 2013, the measure drastically cut t he FAA budget and caused furloughs at the FAA. Sequestration cuts could have been triggered on October 1, but the CR avoids any significant sequestration cuts through December 11 by continuing funding below the sequestration caps. NATCA continues to work w ith members of Congress and staff on this issue and we continue to remind them of the affect it had on the aviation system and our members in 2013. We have made it continuously clear that if sequestration cuts are implemented, the cuts will be larger than in 2013. DEBT CEILING UPDATE : Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew estimated that extraordinary measures to delay reaching the debt limit will be exhausted around November 5, earlier than some experts have previously projected. Last week, new projections extended the deadline to November 16. That gives Republican congressional leaders more time to avoid a default. Unfortunately, the leadership shake - up in the House has complicated the debt issue. Conservative Debt Limit Proposal : The chairman of the House's conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), Rep. Bill Flores (R - TX), will unveil a debt limit proposal that "would address entitlement spendi ng, economic growth, and more." The plan will be circulated once Congress comes back into session next week. The RSC is a group of 172 conservative members of the House GOP. The RSC is a strong advocate for conservative budget policies. GA staff will follow this proposal closely and keep you updated. FAA LONG - TERM REAUTHORIZATION : With FAA authority extended through March 31, 2016 (via H.R. 3614, the Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2015), committees will continue their work on a broad FAA Reauthorization bill. Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio have made it clear that they only want one extension for the FAA this time around, which is the extension that we are now operating under until March. At this time, the House T&I Committee hopes to introduce their version of an FAA Reauthorization bill this fall. NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EV P Trish Gilbert, along with the government affairs staff, continue to work closely with the House and Senate committee staffs to discuss NATCA's priorities for the FAA reauthorization bill.