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Furlough relief fund for FAA workers launched
With the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration looking likely to last until at least September, the FAA Managers Association announced Wednesday it was creating a relief fund for displaced workers of the agency.
About 4,000 FAA workers were furloughed two weeks ago when Congress could not agree on a funding bill for the agency. Despite pleas from transportation officials to pass a bill before they left for their traditional August recess, both chambers adjourned this week until September, meaning it will likely be at least a month before the furloughs end.
The impasse has resulted in FAA research-and-design and safety inspectors, among others, being unpaid, though officials say some inspectors have been flying to work on their own dime.
“The creation of this fund is actually in response to appeals from our members who want to help their colleagues through this difficult time,” Conley said in a statement.
A last-ditch effort to end the shutdown by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood failed Tuesday. LaHood tried to convince members of the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass a temporary extension approved by the Republican-controlled House that contained cuts to rural air service subsidies. The senators had misgivings about passing the extension because the House had already gone home.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated Tuesday he might be willing to accept the House bill, even though one of the airports targeted for cuts was in his home state.
But Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, reiterated his insistence on a “clean” FAA bill without the Essential Air Service program cuts.
The Senate ultimately adjourned for its August recess without acting on the FAA bill, meaning the shutdown, which is estimated to cost the federal government $30 million per day, will likely continue until September.
