Trump signs shutdown-ending bill, boosting FAA funding

The U.S. House passed a spending package Tuesday 217 to 214, ending the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump signed the roughly $1.2 trillion spending package just hours after the House passed it, according to the Associated Press. As part of the package, billions in funding for aviation safety and air traffic control have been approved as part of a broader Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations measure for 2026. The bill increases funding for the FAA by nearly $1.6 billion, for a total of $22.2 billion for the agency, $1.2 billion above fiscal 2025 levels. Lawmakers directed $10.3 billion to fund air traffic control operations and allow the FAA to hire 2,500 new controllers to replace a retiring workforce. FAA facilities and equipment will get $4 billion. And $823.7 million aims to upgrade aging radar, communications and navigation systems. In addition to FAA operations, the bill directs close to $4.6 billion to airport infrastructure, $64.3 billion to highway programs, $514 million for the Essential Air Service program, which supports commercial air service to rural communities, and $145 million for the NTSB to bolster accident investigations and safety oversight. The NBAA welcomed House passage of the legislation, citing multiple industry-supported provisions. "This comprehensive measure provides necessary appropriations to preserve the safety and integrity of our national airspace system, and takes additional steps to bolster America's global leadership in aviation and aerospace," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.The NBAA said the bill includes language that it supported to block funds from being used to plan or implement the privatization or separation of FAA air traffic control operations, preserving congressional oversight of the system. The legislation funds most federal agencies through Sept. 30, while providing the Department of Homeland Security with temporary funding for two weeks. Lawmakers are expected to return to negotiations over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as Democrats push for additional limits on the agency's operations, according to numerous media reports. RELATED ARTICLES:Carriers demand pay for controllers as government enters partial shutdownFAA announces organizational structure overhaul to increase safetyFAA warns airlines of potential military activity in Latin America