A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/865677
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE & CRITICAL DEADLINES The House and Senate have a couple of weeks of August recess left before return ing in September , when they will face imminent deadli nes for legislative action. Congress has until Sept. 29 to raise the nation ' s debt limit to avoid a default, Sept. 30 to pass some kind of spending package to avoid a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on October 1, and Sept. 30 to reautho rize 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 (FY 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 la w. NATCA Impact : While both chambers of Congress and the President have the ability to offer budget proposals, Congress still needs to enact specif ic budget provisions into law. Budget proposals do not have the force of law, but they do serve as a blueprin t for the 12 appropriations bills. That is why 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 to address our concerns, with a specif ic focus on funding for the FAA as well as any changes to federal employee pay and benefits. FERS Supplemental : NATCA staff and the NLC are focused on the potential that the budget proposal could lead to the elimination of the FERS supplemental retiremen t payments. The House FY 18 budget resolution (see more 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 programs. Such cuts could include e liminating 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/annuity for new federal emplo yees 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. House & Senate Budgets : The House Budget Committee approved the Rep ublican - drafted budget proposal for the FY 18 budget on July 19, 2017. Budget Chairman Diane Black, a long with House leadership, has indicated that a vote on the budget proposal is likely when Congress returns in September. Click here to view NATCA's press release on the House budget resolution. In the Senate, it's possible the Senate Budget Committee could mark up an FY 18 budget resolution in September, but so far we have not seen any proposal. We anticipate that the Senate budget blueprint will include a so - called reconciliation provision aimed at eas ing passage of a tax code overhaul, one of Republicans top priorities The reconciliation process allows Republicans, who hold 52 Senate seats, to advance tax legislation with a simple majority instead of a 60 - vote filibuster proof threshold.