A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation to ensure funding is available for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activities during future government shutdowns. In a new insight, Director of Fiscal Policy Jordan Haring reviews both the House and Senate bills.

Key points:

• The 43-day shutdown that began on October 1 and ended on November 12 imposed costs on both the federal budget and the U.S. economy; one of the largest costs was the disruption to FAA activities.
• Air traffic controllers were among the essential federal employees required to work during the shutdown without pay; however, many did not show up to work for a litany of reasons, causing flight delays and cancellations at airports across the country.
• The House and Senate bills are a step in the right direction to prevent one of the largest disruptions and costs of past shutdowns from occurring in the future.

Read the analysis.