House subcommittee approves increased FAA funding amid opposition

Policy

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By Sky Industry News

Jul 1, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to receive a significant funding increase under the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, following approval by the House transportation, housing, and urban development (THUD) subcommittee. The proposed funding bill, passed by voice vote despite some Democratic opposition over unrelated items like Amtrak funding, would allocate $21.657 billion for FY2025 starting October 1.

Within this budget, $13.588 billion is designated for FAA operations. This includes resources for hiring 2,000 new air traffic controllers. Additionally, the bill mandates the FAA to develop a staffing plan similar to that used for air traffic controllers for its certification workforce. Other provisions include maintaining the contract tower program with $256 million, enforcing weight limitations at Teterboro Airport, and continuing privacy protection programs for business aircraft movements.

Of the operations budget, $11.771 billion will be sourced from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund through aviation excise taxes; the rest will come from the general federal budget.

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In alignment with the recently enacted FAA reauthorization bill, there are planned increases in other areas as well: the Airport Improvement Program is set to receive $4 billion, facilities and equipment funding will amount to $3.55 billion, and research, engineering, and development will get $260 million.

Next steps for the bill include full House Appropriations Committee approval before it moves to a full House vote.

Rich Santa, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, expressed support for the increased funding: “This bill provides important funding increases to allow the FAA to meet the requirements of the recently enacted FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024," Santa said. He also emphasized avoiding government shutdowns: "We recognize that additional modifications to the annual appropriations bills may be required before they gain widespread bipartisan and bicameral support... To that end, we urge Congressional leadership to reject budget brinkmanship."