A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/793416
committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate and will continue to keep you updated on legislative action regarding the FAA reauthorization. FY 18 BUDGET The deadline for the president ' s budget was Feb . 6, although that deadline has often been missed by other presidents in thei r first year. Missing the deadline carries no penalty, but will likely delay work on appropriations since it is used to set guidelines for the 12 spending bills. The submission will be late partly because of the long time it took the Senate to confirm the White House budget director, former Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R - SC), who wasn ' t sworn into office until Feb . 16. POTUS Budget Proposal : On Feb. 27, the White House sent its initial budget guidance to federal agencies, outlining a $54 billion increase in defens e spending and corresponding reductions to most non - security agencies. The president is proposing a 10 percent increase in defense spending and funding bumps for national security - related efforts. That will mean that reductions of tens of billions of dolla rs are expected to come from agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department. GA staff will closely review the budget guidance and provide any further updates. NATCA Impact: While the Administration's budget does not have the force of law, it serves as a blueprint for Congress to work on the 12 appropriations bills. NATCA will analyze any budget proposal closely to determine any potential impact on NATCA member pay and benefits. GA continues to work with members of Congress and their staff on this issue. DEBT CEILING DEADLINE With the federal debt nearing its limit and Congress unable to reach a compromise to raise the limit, lawmakers reached a bipartisan budget deal in 2015 (P.L. 114 - 74) that simply suspended the existe nce of any debt limit until March 15 of this year. That means Congress will need to take action to either raise or suspend the debt limit again to avoid risking a default. However, lawmakers may not have to act by the March 15 date, as the U.S. Treasury ca n take what is known as "extraordinary measures " to temporarily extend the government's borrowing capacity. NATCA Impact: If Congress does not reach agreement and fails to raise, or suspend, the limit on the debt ceiling, the consequences would be unprec edented; no one knows the exact scale of the impact. However, some financial analysts believe that hitting the debt ceiling would raise interest rates and lead to immediate cuts in government spending, which could impact NATCA members. In the past, the deb t limit has always been raised or suspended before the debt reached the limit. NATCA will continue to monitor the debt ceiling debate for any pote ntial impact on NATCA members. APPROPRIATIONS FORECAST The government is currently operating a continuing re solution (CR) funding measure (P.L. 114 - 254) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 that is set to expire on April 28. Due to the heavy volume of current legislative business that is pending in the Senate, all indications are that another CR will be needed to avoid a g overnment shutdown. As a reminder, Congress hasn't completed regular spending bills on time since the mid - 1990s, relying often on short - term funding patches that continue funding levels from the previous year without major changes.