A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/889675
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The House is in recess for the week of Oct . 16, while the Senate will be in session. FY 2018 BUDGET MOVES FORWARD A Congressional "budget res olution" sets a spending framework for Congress to enact annual appropriations bills. This year, Republicans are eager to get a Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget resolution passed in order to lay the groundwork for their top priority, which is tax reform. This is achieved through a legislative tool known as "reconciliation." As a reminder, a budget proposal does not get signed into law. House & Senate Vote : The House passed its FY 18 budget resolution (H. Con. Res 71) last week, and the Senate could consider it s version during the week of Oct . 16. But a final compromise must still get negotiated and then approved by both chambers. Next Steps : If both the House and Senate agree to a final budget , it does not get presented to the President for signature and does not have the force of law. It simply outlines the overall congressional budget proposal, while providing Congress with the ability to use the "reconciliation" option to proceed with tax reform. The next step would be for relevant committees to introduce le gislation relating to provisions in the budget. NATCA Impact : While budget proposals do not have the force of law, they do set a framework for spending priorities. That is why NATCA analyzes any budget proposal to determine the potential impact on our me mbers. GA continues to work with members of Congress and their staff to address our concerns, with a specific focus on any changes to federal employee pay and benefits. See "SSA Annuity Update" below for more information on a proposal that would negatively impact NATCA members. SSA ANNUITY UPDATE Elimination of the Social Security (SSA) annuity supplement, which air traffic controllers receive, was highlighted as an example of reforms to civil service pensions within the House FY 18 budget resolution. Dur ing the month of September, NATCA hosted four consecutive rolling lobby weeks where NATCAvists from all over the country held over 500 meetings in the House and Senate to discuss the issue, explaining to lawmakers the negative impacts of this proposal. The rolling lobby weeks were very time sensitive now that the House and Senate are moving forward on their budget proposals. Next Steps : While there is no specific legislation introduced yet that would eliminate the SSA annuity supplement, NATCA is working w ith the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and House leadership to protect the SSA annuity supplement, as well as fighting against any other proposals that are harmful to NATCA members. Background : The House FY 2018 Republican budget resolution con tains instructions directing House committees to reduce federal spending. Specifically, the House budget proposal blueprint highlights elimination of the SSA annuity supplement as a way to cut federal spending.