A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/603672
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE : The House was i n recess last week for Veterans Day, and the Senate was in session for just two days before recessing for the holiday as well. Both chambers are in session this week (Nov. 1 6). APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE : As a reminder, g overnment funding that was provided through the temporary Continuing Resolution (CR) expires on Dec . 11, and spending legislation will still need to be enacted to avoid a government shutdown. Senators passed their first Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) appropriatio ns bill last week, the Military Construction - Veterans Affairs (Mil - Con VA) measure, making it the first FY16 spending bill to pass both chambers (the House already passed its own version). It is anticipated that the bill will serve as a "shell" for a larg er omnibus bill, which would effectively combine appropriations bills and would provide funding for the entire federal government. Senators are now expected to take up the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill during the week of November 16th (see below for additional information). Again, it is important to proceed with caution in the final w eeks leading up to Dec. 11. GA staff will continue to monitor the progress made to avoid a government shutdown. THUD UPDATE : The Senate is expected to consider THUD during the week of Nov . 16, following a procedural vote set up by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday the 16th to proceed with the bill. It's not yet clear whether Democrats will block debate on the measure. Prior to Senate - passage of the Mil - Con VA spending bill, the minority had been holding up floor consideration of all spending bills due to their concern that majority were only interested in passing defense spending legislation. The THUD spending bill (H.R. 257 7) was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in June. The House already passed its version of the THUD bill on the floor in June. The Senate version would provide $16.011 billion for the FAA (compared with $15.855 in the House version). NATCA has been working to ensure that the FAA is properly funded during these tough budget times. GA staff will continue meeting with appropriations committee members and professional staff. Close watch on amendments : As with any bill that faces an open process on the floor (such as the Highway Bill that was recently passed in the House), GA staff will analyze amendments that are offered to the THUD spending bill to ensure nothing is harmful to NATCA. Numerous – often hundreds – amendments can be offered to appropr iations bills so it is especially important to closely monitor these bills. Omnibus likely : As mentioned above, it appears likely that the Mil - Con VA spending legislation will serve as a vehicle for an omnibus. An omnibus is a type of spending bill that co mbines many of the smaller, regular appropriations bills into one larger, single bill. It remains unclear which or how many of the twelve appropriations bills would be part of an omnibus spending package. By passing an omnibus versus a CR, agencies (includ ing the FAA) are given the opportunity to act on current priorities and have the ability to make changes to their budget lines. On the other hand, if a CR is passed instead, the FAA will only be provided funding and authority for projects already in existe nce, which does not allow the Agency to plan ahead and work on new projects. Government shutdown still possible : Even though the President signed into law the broad deal that set budget levels for the next two years and lifted the debt ceiling until 2017, a government shutdown is still possible should Congress fail to pass the