White House warns of FAA furloughs if sequester happens
Last Updated on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 01:14 pm Written by Laura Stetser Monday, February 25, 2013 04:22 pm
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – The deadline for the federal government to agree on a deficit reduction plan to avoid scheduled budget cuts – also called sequestration – is Friday, March 1 and rhetoric on both sides is growing as the date grows nearer.
According to a statement released by the White House Monday, Feb. 25, the pending sequester could cut funding locally as well as nationally from a variety of categories. A state-by-state impact evaluation shows possible cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration, which would affect the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township, where hundreds of local residents are employed.
According to the White House, the FAA would be forced to undergo an overall funding cut of more than $600 million.
“This action would force the FAA to undergo an immediate retrenchment of core functions by reducing operating costs and eliminating or reducing services to various segments of the flying community,” it stated. “A vast majority of FAA’s nearly 47,000 employees would be furloughed for approximately one day per pay period, with a maximum of two days per pay period. The furlough of a large number of air traffic controllers and technicians would require a reduction in air traffic to a level that could be safely managed by the remaining staff, resulting in slower air traffic in major cities, as well as delays and disruptions across the country during the critical summer travel season.”
In response to the White House statement, U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd), who chairs the House Subcommittee on Aviation; Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) who chairs the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation released a statement.
“We are disappointed by the administration creating alarm about sequestration’s impact on aviation,” the statement reads. “Before jumping to the conclusion that furloughs must be implemented, the administration and the agency need to sharpen their pencils and consider all the options. Prematurely outlining the potential impacts before identifying other savings is not helpful.
“Congress has been requesting information from the FAA since August, but nothing was provided, and today’s exaggerations are not backed up by any real financial data,” it continued. “The agency is well positioned to absorb spending reductions without compromising the safety or efficiency of the national airspace system.”
Although the United States continues to see a contracted airline industry, the message stated, the FAA has received significant funding increases in recent years.
While domestic flights are down 27 percent from prior to Sept. 11, over the last 10 years the FAA’s annual budget has increased almost $3 billion, or 41 percent. Each year, the agency spends approximately $500 million on consultants and $200 million on supplies and travel, it stated.
The Budget Control Act of 2011, which permitted the debt limit to increase, created a bipartisan “super committee” of 12 members of Congress with a mandate of cutting an $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
The failure of the committee to agree on a deficit reduction plan by its deadline of November 2011 started the countdown started on automatic “sequester” cuts to take effect on Jan. 2, 2013, a deadline that was later extended to March 1, 2013.
Cuts would be spread across defense and nondefense discretionary programs.
The FAA issued its own statement on Friday, Feb. 22 related to the possibility of a budget sequestration, stating its plans to reduce its expenditures by approximately $600 million for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013. Among the changes, they are considering are furloughing the vast majority of 47,000 employees for approximately one day per pay period; closing over 100 air traffic control facilities; eliminating the overnight shift at over 60 facilities; and reducing preventive maintenance and support for all air traffic control equipment.
The Atlantic City Tower at Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township is on the list for potential elimination of overnight shifts.
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