FAA Facing Yet Another Shutdown after ICE Turmoil

The House on Thursday passed the broad funding bill covering multiple agencies, including a $22.2 billion budget for the FAA in fiscal year 2026, but its future remains uncertain as it heads to the Senate for consideration this week.  Under a stopgap measure passed in November, Congress has until Friday to complete work on the legislation or face the specter of another shutdown of a large tranche of the government, including the Department of Transportation and its agencies.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers had ostensibly reached a compromise on the funding package, but after the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend, Democrats are now reportedly backing away from support of the Department of Homeland Security portion. According to Washington insider publication Politico, the Senate was to have voted on the package on Thursday. Democrats have indicated some support for voting for the agencies individually, but that has not surfaced yet as a possibility on the Republican side.

Meanwhile, the bill has received industry support for its increased funding, including for ramped-up hiring of air traffic controllers. Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning said, “This year’s Transportation–Housing–Urban Development appropriations bill sends a clear signal: Congress is committed to strengthening the safety, efficiency, and innovation that define America’s aviation system.”

Noting the additional $1.2 billion included in the funding for the FAA, Fanning said the bill would continue efforts to accelerate modernization of the air traffic control system and support key initiatives surrounding safety and new technologies, as well as continue workforce grants.

Air Line Pilots Association president Jason Ambrosi added that the bill would strengthen the pilot workforce. This includes additional resources to improve the FAA’s aeromedical process.

“ALPA urges Congress to swiftly pass this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will advance aviation safety, strengthen our National Airspace System, and improve the pilot profession,” Ambrosi said.