NATCA Bookshelf

NATCA Impact: Congress hasn't completed all the regular spending bills on time for any fiscal year since the mid-1990s, relying often on short-term funding patches that continue funding levels from the previous year without major changes. The lack of a stable and predictable funding stream leaves the FAA in financial limbo, and prevents government agencies such as the FAA from starting new projects or adjusting priorities. FY 18 BUDGET PROPOSALS A "budget resolution" sets a tax and spending framework for Congress to enact annual appropriations bills. See below for details and the status of budget proposals from the White House, Senate, and U.S. House. If Congress is unable to complete an FY 2018 budget, it would be the second year in a row that Republicans have been unable to unite around a full budget resolution. As a reminder, a budget proposal is not law: it must pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law before it can go into effect. White House Budget: On Tuesday, May 23, the White House released the FY 2018 budget proposal. As expected, the budget calls for an increase in defense spending, offset by a decrease in discretionary spending. Stay tuned for updates. House & Senate Budgets: The House and Senate have still not released their own budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. It is expected that House Budget Chairwoman Diane Black will release a FY 2018 budget resolution within the next few weeks that would balance the budget in 10 years. A balanced budget means that revenues are equal to expenditures, meaning there would be no budget deficit. On the Senate side, it is likely that a budget resolution will take longer, since the chamber is going to be focusing on health care reform for the next few months. NATCA Impact: As a reminder, while both chambers of Congress and the President have the ability to offer budget proposals, Congress still needs to enact any budget proposal into law. The unpopularity of the President's budget will likely make it even harder to reach spending and budget deals during FY 2018. While budget proposals do not have the force of law, they serve as a blueprint for the 12 appropriations bills. NATCA will analyze any budget proposal closely to determine any potential impact on our member pay and benefits. GA continues to work with members of Congress and their staff on this issue, with a specific focus on appropriations for the FAA. PREPARING FOR ANTI-OFFICIAL TIME BILLS Legislation that attacks the use of official time could come to the House floor at any time. One specific bill NATCA has been following is H.R. 1364, the Official Time Reform Act of 2017, which was introduced by Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA). This legislation would prohibit some federal employees from counting time spent on official time as creditable service under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement Systems (FERS). This legislation has already passed the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, meaning it could come to the House floor at any time for a vote. In order for this legislation to become law, it would need to pass the House, Senate, and be signed by President Trump. NATCA GA staff has been actively lobbying against this legislation and continues to closely monitoring its movement. LEGISLATIVE WATCHLIST In addition to executive actions from President Trump, Congress is already working to advance anti-federal employee bills. With Republicans officially in control of the House, Senate, and White House, the number of proposals that would negatively impact federal

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