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GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AT-A-GLANCE - Second session of 115th Congress set to begin; - Jan. 19 deadline for government spending bill; - Still awaiting long-term agreement to avoid sequestration; - FAA Reauthorization to move forward in Senate CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The House and Senate formally convened the second session of the 115 th Congress on Jan. 3, but the House was only in a pro forma session until members returned on Jan. 8. Before leaving town for the holidays, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy canceled the first week of session because lawmakers needed to remain in town an extra week to pass the GOP tax bill and a government funding bill before the holidays. NEW FUNDING DEADLINE- JANUARY 19 Lawmakers have only until Jan. 19 to pass another government funding bill. Before adjourning for the holidays in December, Congress ended the 2017 legislative year by punting its spending problems into early 2018. The government is now operating on the third continuing resolution (CR; H.R. 1370) since September to keep the government open, in a piecemeal fashion, for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. The latest CR funds the government until Jan. 19. Republican leadership in Congress met with President Trump at Camp David to discuss sequestration and a government shutdown possibility, but there is still no agreement, meaning another CR is likely to provide funding for the government into February or March. Update on Negotiations: Republicans are hoping to produce a long-term spending bill, while Democrats are seeking an immigration deal that could provide protections for DACA enrollees as part of any package. However, statutory spending caps imposed under "sequestration" must be raised to get any bipartisan deal on a final spending package for FY 2018 to avoid the across-the-board cuts from automatically being triggered. While both Republicans and Democrats agree that spending caps should be raised, they have been unable to agree on how much the caps should be raised. It is unclear how negotiations will move forward at this time. Shutdown Possibility: While Congress was able to avoid a government shutdown in December, another deadline is looming yet again on Jan. 19. As mentioned above, it's likely that another CR will be needed in order to avoid another threat of a government shutdown. 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 to the Senate floor for a vote. The proposed FY 2018 spending levels for the FAA are as follows:

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