A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/868391
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE & CRITICAL DEADLINES Congress returns from August recess next week with several criti cal deadlines. Lawmakers have 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 Oct. 1, and Sept. 30 to reauthorize the FAA. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROWS MORE LIKELY President Donald Trump is threatening to shut down the government if he doesn ' t get border wall money in the Fiscal Year (FY) 18 spending bill. Democrats oppose providing funds for the wall, while the President signa led he might veto any spending bill that doesn't include money for the wall, even if the spending bill is necessary to keep the government open when the n ew fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. It is likely that Congress will pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded at current levels for the beginning of the new fiscal year while lawmakers negotiate a broader agreement. If Trump vetoes the CR, a partial government shutdown would begin on Oct . 1. If he agrees to the CR, the wall funding will likely continue to be central to spending negotiations. The last government shutdown occurred in 2013. GA staff is closely monitoring this and will provide updates. LEANING TOWARDS A CONT INUING RESOLUTION IN SEPTEMBER CRs are often used to bridge the gap between new spending measures to give lawmakers more time to work with the White House and negotiate bipartisan spending agreements. If Democrats and Republicans cannot reach an agreement on spending levels, Congress would be forced to abide by the $1.065 trillion spending cap set out in 2011 (see more on spending levels below). Trump's comments regarding the border wall raise the chances that, even if he agrees to a CR at the end of September, he could be prepared to veto a second CR. This makes a partial government shutdown even more likely at some point this year. FAA REAUTHORIZATION If Congress is unable to bring a long term FAA reauthorization bill to the House floor in September, Congress will pursue an FAA extension ahead of the Sept . 30 deadline. An extension would put House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster's proposal to reform air traffic control on hold. While both the House and Senate have passed legislation through their respective committees of jurisdiction (H.R. 2997 and S. 1405), neither has been brought to the floor for consideration. So far, the House bill has not received enough votes for House passage. It is unclear at this time what the extension will include and how long it would last. GA is closely monitoring this and will have more details as lawmakers return from August recess. See below for more background on FAA reauthorization. FY 18 BUDGET PROPOSALS Congressional "budget resolutions" set a tax and spending framework for Congress to enact annual appropriation s bills. This year, Republicans are eage r 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 Whit e House, Senate, and U.S. House. As a reminder, a budget proposal is not law.