GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
Both the House and Senate were in session the week of June 5. Looking ahead, both
Chambers will be in session until the July 4 recess week.
NATCA IN WASHINGTON
NATCAvists came to Washington, D.C. for this year's annual lobby week on May 22.
During the conferen ce, activists traveled to Capitol Hill to request members of Congress
to sign onto letters to the chairmen and ranking members of the appropriations
committees requesting full funding for the FAA in FY 2018. We expect FY 2018 to be a
very tough budget year , so the timing of the lobby week was impeccable, as full funding
for the FAA is a priority. The letters are being led by Reps. Knight (R - CA) and Sean
Patrick Maloney (D - NY) on the House side, and Sens. Inhofe (R - OK) and Warner (D - VA)
on the Senate side.
FAA REAUTHORIZATION
The current FAA Reauthorization is set to expire on September 30, coinciding with the
end of this fiscal year. The committees of jurisdiction in both the House and Senate have
been holding hearings on the subject in advance of the dead line. Earlier in May, NATCA
President Paul Rinaldi testified before the House Transportation & Infrastructure
Committee. To view a copy of his testimony, please click here . On June 8, the House
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held another hearing focused on FAA
reauthorization, entitled "Building a 21st Century Infrastr ucture for America: Federal
Aviation Administration Authorization," where U.S. Department of Transportation
Secretary Elaine Chao was the sole witness. On the Senate side, the Commerce,
Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing entitled "FAA Rea uthorization:
Administration Perspectives" on June 7, where Chao was also be the sole witness. Each
chamber is planning to introduce their own version of FAA Reauthorization legislation
before the August recess.
Timing : Considering that the House and Sena te is in recess for the entire month
of August, and the House is considering a 12 - bill omnibus (see more information below),
timing is extremely limited leading up to the Sept. 30 deadline. That means an extension
is more and more likely for FAA Reauthoriz ation.
NATCA Impact : NATCA has played a critical role with Congress in the FAA
Reauthorization process. During the 114th Congress, NATCA supported Chairman
Shuster's proposal (H.R. 4441; the AIRR Act) to reform air traffic control and provide a
stable, pr edictable funding stream. NATCA also worked with Ranking Member Peter
DeFazio on his proposal, but he ultimately decided not to introduce it. NATCA continues
to work with Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio's respective staff, as well
as with the S enate staff and executive branch, to ensure that our priorities are
addressed in any FAA Reauthorization legislation. NATCA will closely scrutinize any
proposal to ensure it meets the priorities of our members.
WHITE HOUSE ATC PROPOSAL
On Monday, June 5, President Trump announced plans to overhaul the U . S . air traffic
control system. In a White House East Room ceremony, the President, Secretary of
Transportation Elaine Chao , and others spoke about a proposal to transition control of
the nation's skies awa y from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Click here to
view a message that NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EVP Trish Gilbert sent out to
the membe rship.
