A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/860752
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE & CRITICAL DEADLINES The House and Senate are both on August recess and will return af ter Labor Day. When lawmakers left town, they had no budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year, no agreement on spending levels for the federal government, and no FAA reauthoriza tion completed. When they return , they will face imminent deadlines for legi slative action. Congress has until Sept. 29 to raise the nation ' s debt limit to avoid a default, and Sept. 30 to pass some kind of spending package to avoid a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on Oct . 1 . Sept. 30 is also the deadline to r eauthorize the FAA. See more on these issues below. FY 18 BUDGET PROPOSALS Congressional "budget resolutions" set a tax and spending framework for Congress to enact annual appropriations bills. This year, Republicans are eager to get a Fiscal Year 2018 (F Y 18) budget resolution passed this fall in order to lay the groundwork for their top priority, which is tax reform. See below for details and the status of budget proposals from the White House, Senate, and U.S. House. As a reminder, a budget proposal is not law. 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 specific budget provisions into law. While budget proposals do not have the force of law, the y serve as a blueprint for the 12 appropriations bills. NATCA analyzes any budget proposal closely to determine the potential impact on our member pay and benefits. GA continues to work with members of Congress and their staff on this issue, with a specifi c focus on funding for the FAA as well as any changes to federal employee pay and benefits. FERS Supplemental : NATCA staff and the National Legislative Committee ( NLC ) are focused on the potential that the budget proposal could lead to the elimination o f the FERS supplemental retirement payments. The House FY 18 budget resolution (see below) contains instructions directing House committees to reduce federal spending by a minimum of $203 billion in the next 10 years. Specifically, the House Oversight and Government Reform committee (OGR) was instructed to produce a minimum of $32 billion in cuts. Because of its jurisdiction over a wide - range of federal employee issues, these OGR cuts are expected to come from federal employee benefit and retirement program s. Such cuts could include eliminating the FERS supplemental retirement payments, cutting the take - home pay for federal workers who participate in FERS by making them pay substantially higher contributions, or eliminating the FERS defined benefit pension/a nnuity for new federal employees and transitioning them to a defined contribution retirement system. NATCA will continue to fight against any proposals that could harm or cut the retirement benefits of NATCA members. White House Budget : The White House re leased its FY 18 budget proposal in May. As expected, the budget calls for an increase in defense spending, offset by a decrease in discretionary spending. Click h ere to view a message that NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EVP Trish Gilbert sent out to the membership. House & Senate Budgets : The House Budget Committee approved the Republican - drafted budget proposal for the FY 18 budget on July 19, 2017. House lea dership has indicated that a vote on the budget proposal is likely when Congress returns in