A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/724722
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE : Congress is now officially back in session after August recess. The key focus of this session will be passage of legislation to provide funding for the federal government in order to avoid a government shutdown. If every thing goes according to plan, lawmakers are expected to recess again after passage of a funding bill through the elections on Nov . 8. SEPT . 30TH DEADLINE FOR GOVERNMENT FUNDING : Lawmakers have less than a month to fund the government. As a reminder, Sept . 30th marks the end of the fiscal year and new legislation must be enacted to provide funding beyond that date. With competing ideas about what to prioritize and for how long to extend funding and at what scope, some late - September drama is almost inevita ble. Most members of Congress seem adamant about avoiding a government shutdown, but concerns remain at the leadership level that a shutdown is a possibility. Currently, there are two clear paths for avoiding a shutdown: either provide a short - term mechan ism to fund the government through a Continuing Resolution (CR) or some type of "mini - bus, " which is a bill that would include a number of appropriation bills as a package. Below are details on what a short - term funding mechanism might look like and the ne gative impacts of stop - and - go funding. Scope : Some members of the House Appropriations Committee are pushing for so - called " mini - bus " packages to fund several agencies and departments, including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Energy, and Housing and Ur ban Development, for the entire Fiscal Year 2017. In this scenario, all other agencies would be provided short - term funding, but those agencies and departments in a mini - bus would be provided with longer - term funding. Otherwise, a straight CR could be enac ted which would provide the entire federal government with short - term funding until a to - be - determined date. As mentioned above, if no funding is provided by Sept . 30, the federal government will go into shutdown mode. Timing : As it stands now, the bigges t sticking point is how long to fund the government. The conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus want a spending bill that extends into next year. They worry that a short - term, two - month patch (which has been standard practice in recent years) whi ch would lead to deal - making during the lame duck session. On the other hand, Senate Republicans, who are in danger of losing their majority, prefer a short funding bill that would go into December. Passing a longer - term spending bill would mean giving the Democrats the upper hand next year if Republicans lose the Senate. A short fix would allow them to maintain some leverage if that happens. Senate Democrats may be on board with that plan if they're able to secure Zika funding as part of the package, which has been an issue of major concern during summer recess. NATCA Impact: As you know, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has faced an unstable, unpredictable funding stream over the years that have negatively affected all aspects of the FAA. Short - t erm funding measures have become the norm. Unfortunately, years of relying on CRs makes it difficult for the FAA to fulfill its obligations. Further, a government shutdown would worsen the situation, by shuttering the FAA and causing irreparable damage. A government shutdown would slow the training process for new air traffic controllers, halt important maintenance of the air traffic control system, hurt employee morale, and further delay the FAA's implementation of new technology and procedures. While NAT CA supports funding to avoid a government shutdown, we've continuously reminded members of Congress about the negative impact of stop - and - go