NATCA Bookshelf

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT IMPORTANT DATES March 23: Current funding bill expires March 31: FAA authorization expires CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The House and Senate are in session for the week of March 6 and will remain in session until the March 23 funding deadline before recessing for Easter break. NEXT FUNDING DEADLINE APPROACHING In February, Congress passed a broad, bipartisan budget agreement that included a six- week continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open and funded at current levels until March 23. Since then, appropriators have been working on a longer-term appropriations bill in accordance with the new budget caps. This time around, lawmakers are hoping to pass a "catch-all" spending bill that will update funding levels through the end of this fiscal year (Sept. 30). Once a spending bill is addressed for this year, appropriators will switch gears and begin work on a Fiscal Year 2019 deal. Sequestration Fix The budget agreement removes domestic spending caps and prevents automatic cuts known as "sequestration" for the next two years. Sequestration was enacted as a way to cut federal dollars across the board, but Congress has worked to avoid it over the past several years. NATCA Impact The government is now operating on its fifth CR of the fiscal year. 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 current FAA extension is set to expire on March 31. Chairman Shuster released a statement about the status of his FAA reauthorization bill, H.R. 2997, the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act. In his statement, Chairman Shuster conceded that H.R. 2997 was unable to reach the necessary level of support for the bill to come to the House floor for a vote. As such, he will be working with Senator Thune, the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, on an FAA reauthorization bill to provide long-term stability for the FAA. A bill, or an extension of current authority, is due by March 31. NATCA Impact Through the FAA reauthorization process, NATCA has continuously engaged members of Congress on the path forward. NATCA has highlighted 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.

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