On March 1, 2013, the automatic across the board
spending cuts, known as sequester, went into
effect. The sequester is the result of the
Budget Control Act of 2011, as amended by the
American Taxpayer Relief Act, which requires $85
billion in cuts to federal spending both
mandatory and discretionary for fiscal year
2013. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
is not immune to the sequester and is required
to reduce its $15.8 billion budget by
approximately five percent.
On Sunday, April 21, 2013, the FAA began its
announced policy of furloughing FAA air traffic
controllers for one day every ten days. The FAA
claimed that such measures were necessary to
comply with the sequester. In addition to the
furloughs, the FAA claimed that it was necessary
to close approximately 149 contract air traffic
control towers located across the country and
limit late night operations at an additional 72
towers because of increased costs. H.R. 1765 is
intended to address both the furlough and
contract tower issue.
According to Congressional Budget Office (CBO),
the bill would not affect budget authority. It
would increase outlays by $203 million in 2013.
Most, but not all, of that near-term increase
would be offset by corresponding reductions in
outlays in future years, resulting in net
increases in outlays totaling $4 million over
the 2013-2018 period and $2 million over the
2013-2023.
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