A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/713778
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE : Lawmakers have a few more weeks of recess before returning to Washington, D.C. after Labor Day for a month of session. After that , Congress will then recess again for election season, so we ar e also looking ahead to the lame - duck session that takes place after the November election and before the new Congress and president take office next year. Government Affairs staff is laying the groundwork to address a Continuing Resolution (CR) and seques tration beyond the November elections. See below for more information. NATCA ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON AND TIM KAINE : On Friday, August 5, NATCA endorsed Hillary Clinton for President and Tim Kaine for Vice President after the National Executive Board vot ed unanimously to back the Democratic ticket. This decision was made after carefully considering how each of the presidential candidates' records and statements, as well as their parties' platforms, would affect the NATCA membership. President Paul Rinaldi said in a statement that Clinton is " a strong advocate for working families who shares our commitment to ensuring that the National Airspace System (NAS) remains the safest, most efficient, most complex, and most diverse in the world. " Rinaldi also praise d Senator Kaine, who is a great friend to NATCA members. SPENDING BATTLES LIE AHEAD : Lawmakers' top priority in September will be to prevent a government shutdown. They are expected to use a stopgap measure, but nothing is certain at this point. While it is unlikely that Congress would entertain a government shutdown during an election year, there are no guarantees. In a new report, the Congressional Budget Office increased its estimate of the deficit for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. These warnings of a rising deficit could complicate efforts to craft a stopgap spending measure to avoid a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on October 1. It could lead to disagreements among lawmakers about the overall level of discretionary spending. Potential P aths Forward : Congress will likely delay the completion of FY 17 spending bills until next year, leaving government agencies in financial limbo for a good part of the year. This is often the case during election years and the lame - duck sessions following t hose elections. One option would be to delay fiscal 2017 spending consideration until the new Congress and administration. This would mean a short - term CR. Another option would be to pass an even shorter CR that would expire before the end of the calendar year. GA will keep you updated on the path forward. THUD Funding : The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have each passed their respective versions of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bills. The Senate THUD spending bill, if enacted, would provide $16.4 billion for the FAA, which is $131.6 million above the FY2016 enacted level. Specifically, the Senate version would provide the FAA Operations account $9.9 billion ($54 million over the President's request), t he F&E account $2.8 billion, and the Research, Engineering, and Development account $167.5 million. This is great news for NATCA, especially considering that other THUD programs received cuts. The House THUD spending bill would provide $16.3 billion for th e FAA. Specifically, the bill would provide the marks NATCA advocated for --- $9.994 billion in the FAA Operations account, and $2.838 billion in the F&E account. It is unclear whether either chamber will consider a THUD measure when Congress returns after Labor Day. Background : As a reminder, there are 12 spending bills for both chambers to complete in order to fund the government before FY17 starts on October 1. Without that,