A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/913906
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AT - A - GLANCE • New CR will most likely keep the government open until De c. 22 ; • No agreement on sequestration yet ; • Tax reform is headed to conference committee . CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The House and Senate are scheduled to be in session until Friday, Dec . 15 when both chambers are scheduled to recess for the holidays. However, pending an agreement on funding for the federal government, lawmakers will need to stay in town beyond that date to vote on spending legislation and possibly a tax reform bill. CR LIKELY UNTIL DECEMBER 22 House Republicans are introducing a Continuing R esolution (CR) that would extend current funding for the federal government through Dec . 22 to avoid a government shutdown. This would keep the federal government open for the time being and buy more time for lawmakers to get a final spending deal for FY 2 018 in place. The current continuing resolution (CR; PL 115 - 56) is scheduled to run out on Friday, Dec . 8. Shutdown Possibility: Political issues including military spending and immigration have threatened the possibility of a government shutdown. "Defen se hawks" want to see an increase in military spending in any government funding bill, and Democrats are seeking a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Even if a CR is enacted on Dec . 8 to extend funding until Dec . 22, and potentially an additional CR beyond that date into January, it is still unclear what the next course of action would be. NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EVP Trish Gilbert sent out a news alert to members on Nov . 30 highlighting the looming shutdo wn and how this would impact NATCA. Sequestration Cuts: Leaders of both parties have acknowledged that statutory spending caps imposed under a 2011 deficit - cutting law (PL 112 - 25) must be raised to get any bipartisan deal on a final spending package for F Y 2018 to avoid sequestration from automatically being triggered in early January. However, at the moment, Republicans and Democrats have not been able to agree on raising the spending caps. As a reminder, there is no sequestration trigger in the current C R that runs until De c. 8. FAA Funding: NATCA has continuously advocated for full funding for the FAA in our relevant Congressional appropriations bills (the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, "THUD"). The House has already passed its version of THUD funding for FY 18, 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 t o the Senate floor for a vote. The proposed FY 2018 spending levels for the FAA are as follows: