Aviation Community Calls on Congress To Act on Funding

NBAA has issued a call to action to the business aviation community to urge U.S. lawmakers to end the federal government shutdown, pass long-term funding for the FAA, and lift the ban on general aviation at a dozen airports. At the same time, the association was among 60 organizations representing a broad swath of aviation organizations to craft a letter calling on Congress to reopen the government and then pass a full fiscal 2026 budget for the FAA.

The coalition letter and NBAA call to action follow Senate passage of a bill that would reopen the government under a funding extension through January 30, also including a so-called “minibus” comprising full-year 2026 funding for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and military construction, the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, and operations for the legislative branch. The bill heads next to the House. The lower chamber is expected to consider the bill as early as Wednesday. Once complete, Senate Appropriations chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) reportedly has indicated a desire to turn to the next minibus that would include Department of Transportation and Defense funding, among other agencies.

Now in its 42nd day, the historic shutdown has had a crippling effect on the air transportation system as the administration has introduced operational curbs—and at a dozen airports, outright bans on general aviation—to address rolling controller shortages. After the deal was struck to reopen the government, President Trump urged air traffic controllers, who have now missed multiple paychecks, to return to work.

NBAA drew up a sample letter for the business aviation community emphasizing the “tremendous strain” the nation’s air traffic control system has come under during the shutdown, and the importance of stressing that “General aviation is essential to American businesses, largely small and mid-sized enterprises, headquartered in small towns and rural areas that have little or no airline service. Business aircraft are used for around 15,000 relief flights each year, responding to natural disasters, transporting organs, and taking cancer patients to treatment centers.”

As for the Modern Skies Coalition, the organizations wrote an open letter to Congress, printed in the Washington Post, reminding them of the critical need for funding.

“The government shutdown has disrupted that work and slowed the strong momentum we have built for modernization. But the shutdown is having a much more direct, immediate impact. The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough every day, but forcing federal employees to do it without pay is unacceptable,” the organizations wrote. “Without immediate government action, the federal employees charged with the safety of our aviation system are missing paychecks again this week. We owe public servants…a debt of gratitude and a swift ending to this shutdown.”

The coalition added that Congress has provided a down payment on modernizing ATC and supercharging controller hiring. “But those initiatives are challenged as the shutdown continues,” it added.