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2d ago

House Panel Moves to Guarantee Air Traffic Controller Pay During Shutdowns

The action follows FAA warnings of trainee losses during the 43-day shutdown.

An aircraft controller works in the tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as the Trump administration warns of impending cuts to commercial airline operations more than a month into the continuing U.S. government shutdown in Arlington, Virginia, U.S.. November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The air traffic control tower and some American Airlines planes are pictured at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Washington, U.S., February 2, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
A view of the air traffic control tower at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford speaks during a hearing in the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee set a Thursday vote on a bill to ensure controllers and other essential aviation workers are paid during funding lapses.
  • FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told lawmakers the agency lost an estimated 400 to 500 trainees during the shutdown and said towers will never reach full staffing under the current system.
  • Citing safety risk, the FAA ordered flight reductions at 40 major airports on Nov. 7, leading to about 7,100 cancellations and affecting 2.3 million passengers, while airlines reported broader disruption to 6 million passengers and 50,000 flights.
  • Bedford said roughly $6 billion is committed to telecom and radar upgrades targeted for deployment by 2028, with the fiber communications transition slated to finish in the third quarter of 2027.
  • Peraton was selected as integrator for the accelerated overhaul, and the FAA is seeking about $20 billion beyond an initial $12.5 billion to complete modernization.