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8h ago

House Panel Sets Votes on Controller Pay During Shutdowns and Supersonic Deadline as FAA Speeds ATC Overhaul

The push follows safety-driven flight cuts, with an accelerated FAA tech upgrade still short of funding.

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

  • Lawmakers scheduled a vote to guarantee pay for air traffic controllers and other key aviation workers during government shutdowns to prevent disruptions.
  • The committee also plans to vote on requiring the FAA to approve supersonic jet transport by April 2027, following the president’s June directive to lift the overland ban.
  • FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford defended the Nov. 7 safety-driven flight cuts at 40 major airports that triggered 7,100 cancellations affecting 2.3 million passengers, and the agency issued letters of investigation to airlines over compliance.
  • Bedford told Congress towers will not reach full staffing under the current approach, citing retirements, burnout and retention issues, and he urged expanded training to build the pipeline.
  • The FAA has committed $6 billion to telecom and radar upgrades targeted for deployment by the end of 2028, selected Peraton as integrator, and says more funding is needed beyond the $12.5 billion already approved as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pegs total costs at about $31.5 billion.