Legislative Update: Federal Government Shutdown
After the Senate defeated two temporary funding measures, on Tuesday evening the White House ordered federal agencies to begin implementing shutdown plans, directing employees to report for work Wednesday to “undertake orderly shutdown activities.”
Agency and Industry Impact
Updated shutdown plans published by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) late Tuesday offer high-level information about FAA, TSA, and CBP workforce and programs deemed essential and non-essential. NATA continues to gather information from the agencies about potential impacts for NATA member companies. Of note, some FAA programs have identified adequate leftover FY 2024 funds to retain employees for short periods of time, but some of those funds will begin to expire if the shutdown extends beyond this week.
The latest DOT shutdown plan designates approximately 25% of the FAA workforce for furlough, a lower number compared to earlier plans. Prominent changes from past plans include furlough exemption for air traffic controller hiring and training, NextGen modernization, air traffic control modernization, and any other programs funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Operations related to certification oversight, aircraft and airman registry, airman medical certificates, and flight standards field inspections will continue, although the furlough of some flight standards staff and administrative support staff may likely mean increased delays in areas with current backlogs.
Like FAA’s air traffic controllers, frontline TSA and CBP employees will continue working without pay throughout the shutdown but will receive backpay. (In previous shutdowns, backpay required a separate act of Congress.) TSA has notified operators that principal security specialists (PSS) will not be available to respond to emails or telephone calls.
Capitol Hill Action
Senate Republicans announced plans to vote daily on a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that would extend government funding until November 21. Although three Democratic senators have joined Republicans in supporting the measure, the CR requires five additional votes to meet the 60-vote threshold for Senate passage. The shutdown is likely to extend through this weekend. Multiple factors will affect the probability of a longer-term shutdown, including progress of emerging Senate negotiations on contested medical subsidies, Administration action on proposed reduction in force (RIF) plans, and impacts felt by the general public.
Advocating Together
The shutdown has the potential for both immediate disruptions and longer-term challenges for your business. NATA continues to prioritize advocacy that mitigates any possible risks to industry safety, oversight, and operational continuity. To this end, it is helpful to have specific examples of how the shutdown is affecting your operations. With your input, NATA can convey these impacts directly to key decision-makers and urge them to act expeditiously to end the shutdown.
Anything you can share will be greatly appreciated. For assistance or to provide information on shutdown impacts, please contact NATA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Jenny Ann Urban at jurban@nata.aero.
Your Association is here to support you. The NATA team remains actively engaged in Washington to educate policymakers, ensure your voice is represented, and reduce the impact of the shutdown on your businesses. We will continue to monitor developments closely and keep you updated.