Seeking a solution to aviation’s government shutdown problem

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HEAR FROM THE AIR CURRENT

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In the first recounting of the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, pressure placed on politicians by a rapidly destabilizing national airspace system played a central role in ending the longest in the nation’s history, along with expiring food assistance and other key programs. As delays induced by air traffic controller staffing issues compounded with unprecedented scheduled capacity cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, eight U.S. Senate Democrats voted on Nov. 9 to advance a deal to reopen the government.

With the next shutdown potentially around the corner — as soon as the end of January, when the newly-passed funding extension expires — lawmakers, industry officials and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have issued renewed calls to safeguard the FAA and its air traffic controllers from the chaos of future shutdowns. Many legislative avenues have so far been introduced in Congress to accomplish this, varying from paying just air traffic controllers during shutdowns to insulating some FAA spending accounts from a lapse in appropriations.

Yet the last month of political infighting, and its conclusion, has effectively demonstrated that aviation is one of lawmakers’ most potent sources of leverage during a shutdown. The Air Current spoke with senior Congressional appropriators as well as key leaders with aviation oversight responsibility who mostly supported any proposal to protect the system from future government shutdowns — at least in principle. Crucially, few expressed optimism about the political likelihood for success.

“I’m not sure if, politically, this will be the right time,” a former senior Congressional aide told TAC. “But industry has got to try.”

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