Pilot Union Lauds U.S. Lawmakers

Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) president Captain Jason Ambrosi issued the following statement pertaining to Congress averting a shutdown of the U.S. federal government:

“We know how harmful government shutdowns are to our nation’s economy, safety, and security, and to the people whose work makes the national airspace system the safest in the world. We thank our lawmakers for preventing history from repeating itself, averting a shutdown, and passing a FAA Reauthorization extension. Now they can turn their focus to passing stable, long-term funding for the FAA and ensuring the U.S. airline industry remains the global gold standard for safety.”

Following House passage by a vote of 335-91, the bill was hurriedly put before the U.S. Senate, which approved the legislation by an 88-9 bipartisan vote. Republican senators voting no included Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Mike Lee of Utah, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Eric Schmitt of Missouri and J. D. Vance of Ohio.

The bill was signed into law by Joe Biden in the waning hours of Saturday, 30 September.

The 71-page stopgap bill funds the U.S. federal government through Friday, 17 November 2023, and extends the authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration through 31 December.

Moreover, the bill provides $16-billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund.

The stopgap spending legislation provides no additional funding for Ukraine—to which the Biden administration, to date, has allocated some $196-billion tax-dollars.

House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (Republican, Texas)  a Texas reluctantly urged support for the legislation, contending during a floor debate that while “a continuing resolution is not ideal, it prevents a harmful government shutdown.”

Congresswoman Granger added: “It gives us more time to pass the appropriations bills on the floor of the House and allows us to start negotiations on final, full-year bills with the Senate.”

Founded in 1931 and representing over 75,000 pilots in the employs of 43 U.S. and Canadian airlines, to include upwards of four-hundred Air Wisconsin aviators, the Air Line Pilots Association, International is the world’s largest and most influential pilot union.

FMI: www.alpa.org