House subcommittee approves increased FAA funding amid opposition

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.