House committee approves bill to fund FAA and ATC during government shutdowns

The House Transportation and Infrastructure (Tandamp;I) Committee passed a bill on Thursday that would protect the U.S. National Airspace System and those responsible for its operations from lapses in funding during government shutdowns. The Aviation Funding Solvency Act will enable the FAA to draw on the Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund to maintain critical operations during shutdowns. A minimum of $1 billion must be left in the fund to address potential claims. If the amount in the fund is deemed insufficient to continue all operations, the FAA must prioritize paying air traffic controllers. Members of the system pay almost $24 billion per year in taxes and fees for operations. "Air traffic control is a critical public safety function that must operate continuously and reliably, regardless of unrelated political disputes," said AOPA President Darren Pleasance. "As we have seen, past government shutdowns have demonstrated that even temporary funding lapses create unnecessary risk, operational uncertainty, and strain on the highly skilled workforce responsible for maintaining the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System." RELATED STORIES: Modern Skies Coalition supports legislation to shield FAA from future shutdowns Government begins reopening, FAA amends airport traffic reductions to 6 percent Flights delayed at Burbank Airport due to controller shortage caused by shutdown During the 43-day shutdown that ended in November, controllers were not paid for their work and many refused to come into work. This resulted in heavy delays and groundings as control towers were short-staffed or had no controllers at all. The Modern Skies Coalition issued a statement in November that supported the act and both the AOPA and the NBAA sent letters on Dec. 16 urging the committee to approve it. "We thank Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen and the committee for advancing this legislation to ensure that controllers remain focused on their duties, and we prevent operational disruptions to aviation safety and system reliability," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.