A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/589908
Background : The debt limit is the total amount of money that the U.S. government is authorized to b orrow to meet required payments, including interest on debt, Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and other necessary expenditures. When the federal government approaches its statutory limit of debt, also known as "the debt ceiling," the Tre asury cannot borrow any more money without approval from Congress. This would lead to the government defaulting on its debt, which would be catastrophic. According to the Treasury, it would be an unprecedented event and would lead to a financial crisis. So far, Congress has always acted when called upon to raise the debt limit. For the past several years since 2011, the debt ceiling has become a politically charged topic, but prior to that, increasing the debt ceiling was seen as a routine necessity. Conse rvative 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 spending, economic growth, and more." The plan will be circul ated 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 LON G - TERM REAUTHORIZATION : With FAA authority extended through March 31, 2016 (via H.R. 3614, the Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2015), the authorizing committees will continue their work on a broad FAA Reauthorization bill. Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio on the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee 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 committee hopes to introduce their version of an FAA Reauthorization bill this fall. NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EVP Trish Gilbert, along with GA staff, continue to work closely with House and Senate committee staff to discuss NATCA's priorities for the FAA re authorization bill. Update : Last Friday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled a six - year surface transportation reauthorization proposal ahead of an expected markup on Oct. 22. They need to pass an authorization bill before the e nd of the month. When that is out of the way, there is greater likelihood that FAA Reauthorization will have a path forward to introduction and passage in the House. FAA RECOMMENDS DRONE REGISTRATION REGULATION : FAA officials said Monday , Oct. 19 they wil l require registration of recreational drones and hope to have rules in place to do so by mid - December. The initiative was prompted by an increasing number of reports of close encounters between drones and other aircraft. Transportation Secretary Anthony F oxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said they will establish a task force to recommend a registration process by Nov. 20. Foxx said he hoped to have rules in place by mid - December 2015. Secretary Foxx said the registration requirement would not involv e licensing, a step prohibited under the FAA's authority. He said the FAA's safety authority allows it to require registration. COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT NATCA LAUNCHES LARGE - SCALE NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN ON CRITICAL STAFFING LEVELS