Today, NATA and more 55 other national aviation stakeholders called on Congress to end the harmful government shutdown immediately in an open letter published in The Washington Post.
“The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough every day, but forcing federal employees to do it without pay is unacceptable. Without immediate government action, the federal employees charged with the safety of our aviation system are missing paychecks again this week. We owe public servants at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies supporting aviation, like the National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection, a debt of gratitude and a swift ending to this shutdown,” the Modern Skies Coalition wrote to Congress.
In addition to the negative impact on critical government workers, the shutdown’s stress on our air traffic control (ATC) system has resulted in flight reductions affecting all aviation industry sectors and disrupted progress on a new ATC system. “Congress recently made a significant down payment on modernizing the FAA’s antiquated air traffic control system and the Department of Transportation (DOT) has prioritized ‘supercharging’ hiring to get air traffic control facilities fully staffed. But those initiatives are challenged as the shutdown continues. As Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has championed, we need much, much more for air traffic investment in this country,” the Coalition said. “The shutdown takes all of that in the wrong direction.”
By ending the shutdown and passing a full year transportation appropriations bill, Congress can restore momentum on ATC modernization. “Despite this current setback, the Modern Skies Coalition is still bullish on delivering a new air traffic control system that is a global leader, but every day of the shutdown makes the task harder,” the letter said before ending with a strong message. “Congress, end the shutdown now!”
Read the full letter here.