A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/895825
bills and is mainly being used as political messagin g at this point, claiming that this is the first time the House has passed all 12 funding bills on time since 2009. However, it has no chance of becoming law by the new fiscal year and it is not considered "on budget," since it violates the deficit - cutting law (P.L. 112 - 25) by exceeding the cap for defense spending. If it were to become law (which, as mentioned, is highly unlikely), the legislation would trigger across - the - board spending cuts to military programs, known as sequester. Sequestration Cuts As part of the current CR, there will be no sequestration trigger during this funding period (through Dec. 8). As a reminder, the Budget Control Act (P.L. 112 - 25) imposed limits on spending through FY 2021 in an effort to curb mounting deficits, but it has f aced growing criticism on Capitol Hill even among Republican lawmakers. The across - the - board spending cuts, known as sequester, have been eased over the years through bipartisan budget deals that have allowed for higher spending limits. But a growing numbe r of lawmakers are advocating for a permanent or longer - term fix. Congress now has until December to figure out whether spending caps should be raised or abolished. Government Shutdown Possibility In August, President Donald Trump issued threats to shut down the government if he is unable to secure funding for the U.S. - Mexico border wall in the FY 2018 spending bill. The wall funding debate will likely come up again during negotiations leading into December on a final spending bill. That means that a government shutdown isn't off the table for later this year. FAA Funding NATCA has continuously advocated for full funding for the FAA in our relevant Congressional appropriations bills (the Transporta tion, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, "THUD"). For FY 2018, the House has already passed its version of THUD funding, which would increase funding for the FAA. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved its version of the THUD bill , which would also provide an increase for the FAA, although the legislation has not come to the Senate floor for a vote yet. The proposed FY 2018 spending levels for the FAA are as follows: FAA BUDGET LINE FY 2018 FY 2018 House Request Senate Request Operations $10,185,482,000 $10,186,000,000 Facilities & Equipment $2,855,000,000 $3,005,000,000 Research, Engineering & Development $170,000,000 $179,000,000 NATCA Impact Congress hasn't completed all 12 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 predict able