Sat, Dec 21, 2024
Potential Shutdown Would Cause Major Setbacks to ATC and NAS Security
Just in time for the holidays, the Federal Government ran out of funding and was forced to make a last-second call to avoid a shutdown. Before the vote, several major aviation players urged the Senate and House of Representatives to avoid the potential government shutdown by all means necessary.
The stakeholders argued that any more compromises to air traffic control would risk the safety of the entire national airspace system (NAS).
Congress voted on a temporary funding bill when the fiscal year ended on September 30. The legislation kept the government alive until December 20, when leadership would again have to come up with a funding plan.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a deal on December 17 that would extend government funding until March 14, along with providing some well-deserved assistance to farmers and those hit by the recent hurricanes. It would also give a small raise to members of Congress for the first time in over a decade. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump, and other far-right players came out strong against the plan.
Once the backup plan fell through, aviation stakeholders rushed to steer Congress away from a shutdown. The National Air Transportation Association and other key parties sent a letter to leadership in the House of Representatives and Senate, stating: “Shutdowns are extremely detrimental to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by suspending air traffic controller hiring and training, delaying the implementation of safety initiatives, postponing maintenance and repair work to critical air traffic equipment, suspending air carrier pilot check rides, delaying airworthy inspections for aircraft, deferring the analysis of voluntary safety reporting, and suspending work on modernization and infrastructure programs.”
If a shutdown had occurred, many FAA employees would have been temporarily thrown off the rails and unable to perform their duties. Air traffic controllers would have continued working, but without pay, which is an especially hurtful blow right before the holiday season.
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