NATCA Bookshelf

request full funding in FY 2018, which will be a priority for us as Congress looks ahead to the next fiscal year. Below is an update on the current FAA funding levels. CURRENT STATUS A congressionally-passed budget is technically needed to start the appropriation process (see below for more information). However, no budget agreement is in sight due to the disagreement in Congress over the healthcare law. As you may recall, Congress is looking to use the budget process as a way to repeal "Obamacare" and do tax reform. That being said, the appropriations process is slowly moving forward despite the lack of a budget agreement. The House Appropriations Committee passed its first appropriations bill of the season (the Mil-Con VA bill), but this is much later than normal. Right now it is unknown when the Transportation Housing and Urban Development (T- HUD) bill will start to move forward in the process. Stay tuned for updates on that timeline. SEPT. 30 SHUTDOWN SCENARIO A government shutdown this fall still isn't getting ruled out as an option by the Trump administration. President Trump's Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney, defended a shutdown as a potentially useful tool to change the budget process amid frustration with the lag in appropriations bills. But most lawmakers of both parties say they're determined to avoid a shutdown when current funding expires on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. 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. FAA Funding: The current spending bill provides $16.4 billion for the FAA, which is $127 million more than the FY 2016 enacted level. Below are specifics on funding levels for the individual accounts. The funding allows for a two year carry over in the operations account — a critical adjustment that will ensure that the ATC hiring process is continuous and potentially help mitigate other negative effects of sequestration. This one-time funding flexibility will ensure the continuity of operations during the annual transition from one year to the next. $10,025,852,000 for the FAA Operations $2,855,000,000 for the FAA Facilities & Equipment $176,500,000 for the FAA Research, Engineering & Development FY 18 BUDGET PROPOSALS Congress still holds the "purse strings," no matter what is on President Donald Trump's wish list. Congressional "budget resolutions" set 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.

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