A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/773352
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The new 115th Congress was sworn in on Jan. 3 and is already off to a busy start. Both chambers have been in session the week of Jan. 9. President - elect Donald Trump and Vice President - e lect Mike Pence wil l be sworn in on Friday, Jan. 20. HOLMAN RULE UPDATE As you know, the House Republicans revived what is known as the "Holman Rule," which is now part of the updated Rules Package for the 115th Congress. The Holman Rule, which was large ly abandoned in the 1980s, will let lawmakers offer floor amendments to spending bills that could reduce the size of federal agencies and cut the salaries of federal employees. NATCA worked hard to defeat inclusion of the Holman Rule in the rules package, but it was an uphill battle because it required the support of over 120 Republicans (or a majority of the Republican Conference present) to defeat it. As a reminder, the rule was first voted on behind closed doors in the Republican Conference meeting. Once the package was approved and came to the House floor for a vote, there was no longer a path to defeat the Holman Rule. Update : Some House Republicans are expressing regrets about reviving the rule because it could drag out the already complicated approp riations process, making spending bills even more difficult to pass. It was widely opposed by Democrats as a legislative overreach. As a reminder, the full House voted on and passed the rules package (H. Res. 5) following approval in the Republican Con fere nce on Jan. 3 by a vote of 234 - 193. We appreciate the hard work of Reps. Tom Cole (R - OK) and Rob Bi shop (R - UT) who offered a NATCA - supported amendment to strike the Holman Rule language. Impact on NATCA : It goes without saying that the Holman Rule could p otentially be very harmful to federal employees, including those at the FAA. The Holman Rule will apply for one year in the House. There's no doubt that harmful amendments will result from the Holman Rule on the House floor during consideration of annual a ppropriations bills. During these times, NATCA will count on our allies in Congress for support. FY 2017 BUDGET Republicans are moving quickly on their Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 3), which they plan to use as a mechanism to repe al President Obama's healthcare law. Once the required 50 hours of debate runs out in the Senate chamber, senators are allowed to seek votes on amendments until every senator's amendments are finished (known as a vote - a - rama), guaranteeing it will be a lon g night. If you recall, the last vote - a - rama took place in 2015 and lasted 15 hours. The budget resolution is on track for adoption in both chambers of Congress, with the House preparing for a floor vote before leaving town on Friday after the Senate appro ves the measure this week. NATCA Impact : Consideration of the budget resolution on the Senate floor will be very fast - paced, with the potential for many, many amendments that GA staff will be thoroughly vetting, as the process permits. It's an exh austing process that many s enators have said makes it impossible to know what is actually being considered. It's important to remember that the underlying budget resolution – and the amendments that passed – will never become law, but we have always taken the vote s very seriously to ensure voting records on NATCA issues remain strong. It's also important to understand