A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/681981
it came up for a vote. GA staff will be prepared in case a similar amendment is offered this time arou nd, and wil l keep you updated. What's next for THUD? The Senate will take up the Transportation - HUD bill (THUD; S. 2844) this week, which it plans to bundle with its own Mil - Con - VA bill (S. 2806). The Senate passed its first spending bill last week (Energy - Water; HR 2028), marking the earliest Senate action on an appropriations measure in about 40 years. NATCA GA staff has been continuously meeting with members of both the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as committee staff, to make sure they k now the importance of sufficient funding for the FAA to NATCA members. Proposed Funding Levels : The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the THUD spending bill on April 21, approving $16.4 billion for the FAA, which is $131.6 million ab ove the FY2016 enacted level. Specifically, the Senate THUD appropriations bill would provide the FAA Operations account $9.9 billion ($54 million over the President's request), the F&E account $2.8 billion, and the Research, Engineering, and Development a ccount $167.5 million. This is great news for NATCA, especially considering that other THUD programs received cuts. In the House, the THUD Subcommittee is expected to mark up its spending bill on Wednesday, May 18. NATCA GA staff will continue to work with committee staff through the markup and keep you updated. Potential Road Blocks : As we have seen in the past, there are many potential opportunities for roadblocks to slow the consideration of appropriations bills. In the Senate, a single amendment by a si ngle senator can derail a bill for weeks, as was the case last month when a provision relating to the Iran nuclear deal delayed passage of the Energy - Water bill. Last year, the THUD bill got yanked off the floor when Sen. Rand Paul (R - KY), then a president ial candidate, pushed an amendment blocking housing aid for some Middle East refugees at a time when President Barack Obama had proposed admitting some refugees fleeing war in Syria. Sen. Paul declined to say whether he would offer that amendment again. St atus of Appropriations Bills : So far, the House Appropriations Committee has approved three bills (Mil - Con - VA, Agriculture, and Energy - Water). No spending bills have been considered yet on the House floor. On the Senate side, in addition to the Energy - Wate r bill (which has already passed on the Senate floor), the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved THUD, Mil - Con - VA and Commerce - Justice. WHAT'S NEXT FOR FAA REAUTHORIZATION ? House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Bill Shuste r needs more time to decide on his strategy for a long - term FAA reauthorization bill, but we are looking at the likelihood of some hearings in June and July, potentially on the issue of staffing and hiring of air traffic controllers. We will provide more i nformation on this in our next update. Meanwhile, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune is stressing the need for a full, long - term FAA reauthorization bill instead of another short - term extension. As you know, the curre nt FAA extension expires on July 15. Chairman Shuster has shown no sign of abandoning his plan (H.R. 4441; the AIRR Act), which NATCA supports. However, he has had trouble rallying support for the idea from both Republicans and Democrats alike. As a remind er, the Senate passed H.R. 636 earlier in April, which would reauthorize the FAA through FY 2017. Possible Outcomes : A few of the possible paths forward include: 1) no long - term FAA reauthorization legislation moves forward, so both chambers will need to p ass another FAA extension; 2) the House passes a less - controversial bill, without the air traffic control reform proposal, and proceeds to conference that legislation with the Senate - passed bill; or 3) Chairman Shuster continues to push for consideration o f H.R.