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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: CRs leave the government running on autopilot, simply extending current funding levels without allowing new projects. 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 predictable funding stream leaves the FAA in financial limbo, and prevents government agencies such as the FAA from starting new projects or adjusting priorities. FAA REAUTHORIZATION The FAA is currently operating under a six-month extension, which is set to expire in March. Recently, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster announced he won't seek re-election. However, he has indicated that he still hopes to move forward on his bill, H.R. 2997, the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, but it is unclear what his path forward on this will be. On the Senate side, we are anticipating that Chairman Thune and the Senate Commerce Committee will move forward with their long-term FAA reauthorization bill sometime in February. However, there are some underlying issues in the Senate version of FAA Reauthorization that the committee will need to address before moving forward. Background: Prior to passage of the short-term extension, both the House and Senate passed FAA reauthorization legislation through their respective committees of jurisdiction (H.R. 2997 and S. 1405). However, neither bill has been brought to the floor for consideration. NATCA Impact: NATCA is continuing to engage Congress as the FAA Reauthorization process moves forward. NATCA continues to highlight the need for a stable, predictable funding stream that adequately supports the following: air traffic control services, staffing, hiring and training, long-term modernization projects, preventative maintenance, ongoing modernization to the physical infrastructure, and the timely implementation of NextGen modernization projects. NEW FAA ADMINISTRATOR FAA Administrator Michael Huerta's five-year term ended Jan. 6. FAA Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell was named as Acting FAA Administrator. Click here to view NATCA's press release on the announcement. LEGISLATIVE WATCHLIST In addition to executive actions from President Trump, Congress is already working to advance anti-federal employee bills, including those that would attack the use of official time and negatively impact federal employee pay and benefits. With Republicans in control of the House, Senate, and White House, these types of proposals are rising.

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