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Stop-and-go funding leads to a more stressful, less productive work environment for aviation safety professionals in a number of ways. Stop-and-go funding related to gaps in funding or FAA authorization can result in government-wide and/or partial shutdowns. These shutdowns result in unpaid furloughs and/ or uncertainty about when, or if, excepted members will be paid for continuing to perform their job duties. The lack of a stable, predictable funding stream for the FAA can also lead to delays in the implementation of updated technology, delays to the repair of current equipment, and delay in hiring and training the next generation of controllers and aviation safety professionals. ISSUE: STOP-AND-GO FUNDING QUICK REFERENCE Another potential threat to stable, predictable funding is coming from proposed spending cuts known as "rescissions." On May 9, the Trump Administration proposed a sweeping $15.4 billion package of spending cuts that slices across 10 federal departments. The remaining barriers to a stable, predictable funding stream are the lack of regular order in the appropriations process and continued dependence on continuing resolutions (CR), government shutdowns (real or threatened), and the returning threat of sequestration in 2020 and 2021. The most serious issue currently facing us is the FAA's unstable, unpredictable funding stream, which jeopardizes the safety, efficiency, and capacity of the National Airspace System. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4), which passed the House on April 27, would authorize the FAA through F Y 2023 and would help stabilize this funding stream. So far, the Senate has not yet acted on an FAA reauthorization bill. NiW Today n a t c a . o r g / n i w HOW THIS ISSUE AFFECTS NATCA MEMBERS: 38

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