Press Releases

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released the following statement on the release of President Trump’s budget blueprint, which supports shifting the air traffic control (ATC) function of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to an independent, non-governmental organization:

“I commend President Trump for his leadership in calling for restructuring the role of the FAA.  This budget takes the next step in what our committee produced last year – separating the air traffic control function from the federal government and establishing an independent, not-for-profit organization to provide this service. 

“The inclusion of this good government infrastructure proposal shows that the president is truly focused on changing the way Washington works.  By removing the ATC function from the FAA, Americans will see a more efficient system, flight times decrease, on-time departures increase, emissions reduced, and 21st century technology deployed to guide our planes from gate to gate. On top of that, the FAA will be able to focus on safety and robust oversight of the new not-for-profit service provider.

“For too long, the federal government has been the impediment in updating our ATC operation to a world-class, state of the art system.  We still rely on WWII-era technology to navigate the most used airspace in the world.  This has stifled innovation and efficiency in our aviation system. 

“Like any transformative change in Washington, entrenched interest groups will do and say anything to protect their parochial interests.  But the facts are not on their side.  The president’s budget rejects adherence to the status quo and I applaud his leadership to disrupt the old way of thinking. 

“As chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will work with the president, and any interested parties, to see that this commonsense reform reaches his desk this year.”