With roughly 31 million expected to fly over Thanksgiving, airlines & air travel are still recovering from the shutdown

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation – today led a hearing to examine the consequences of the recent 43-day government shutdown on the U.S. aviation system and how to make certain the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can be insulated from the impacts of possible future shutdowns.

“We convened this hearing because of the importance of the aviation and travel industry, a vital component of our nation’s economy, and trying to find ways to make certain that that industry is stable, including in difficult times like a government shutdown,” said Sen. Moran. “We must do our part to enable the FAA and the Department of Transportation to make certain that America remains the standard for aviation and air safety.”

“I introduced legislation in many Congresses that allows for the continuation of essential FAA activities in the future shutdowns,” continued Sen. Moran. “By examining the delays, the cancelations, the staffing triggers and certification interruptions, we are laying the groundwork to support an industry that is critical to our country.”

In March, Sen. Moran introduced the Aviation Funding Stability Act, which would provide certainty for the aviation industry during lapses in government funding by allowing the FAA to access funds to continue its critical operations and pay air traffic controllers.

Sen. Moran’s remarks as delivered:

“I’m pleased to be here, and I thank our witnesses for joining us this afternoon for what I hope is a valuable discussion and expect to be a valuable discussion. We convened this hearing because of the importance of the aviation and travel industry, a vital component of our nation’s economy, and trying to find ways to make certain that that industry is stable, including in difficult times like a government shutdown.

“That stability is severely inhibited by the critical functions at the Federal Aviation Administration – when they’re suspended or when they’re interrupted, and when Congress fails to act, the FAA and the aviation industry suffer.

“I am pleased that the cancelations and delays plaguing our flights, airlines and airports are easing. One of the witnesses and I were on a flight that was delayed, but only for mechanical reasons this week, which has been different than it was previously. Our air traffic controllers are reporting to work and other essential activities at the FAA are back underway.

“Thanksgiving, however, is just a few days away, and while we anticipate the airlines will be fully – or nearly fully – recovered come next week, lingering strain and fatigue on the system perhaps is to be expected. Roughly 31 million passengers are expected to fly next week for the holiday, but there may be lingering impacts on the system because of the shutdown. I look forward to the former Governor, Governor Sununu, speaking to us this afternoon, hopefully providing us with a roadmap as to what Americans flying next week will expect from the airlines.

“Last week, the U.S. Travel Association noted that more than $6 billion were lost in travel spending because of the inability to fly. We cannot afford, I’m sure the airlines and others, the people who work in the airports and in aviation, cannot further afford the instability and chaos.

“Our recent inaction in Washington has undoubtedly deterred young people from pursuing careers as air traffic controllers or other aviation professionals—a workforce we must prioritize.

“I hope that consideration of the fiscal year 2026 THUD – the transportation appropriation bill – will begin in the Senate this week. That is the plan, and we’re working to try to accomplish that, and it will lay a groundwork for Congress to fully fund the Department of Transportation and the FAA with the resources it needs.

“Senate appropriators passed the THUD bill in July by a vote of 27 to 1 – very bipartisan demonstration there. Within this bill, we provided the Department of Transportation nearly $26 billion and the FAA nearly $20 billion between their operations and facility and equipment accounts, which fund air traffic control and modernization activities. This funding is in part there to allow Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford to modernize our national airspace system after decades of insufficient budget requests that merely sustained an outdated system. This issue received particular attention by me on January 29th, when the tragic circumstances occurred involving a flight from Wichita, Kansas, to DCA occurred. It was a moment that this Congress, this subcommittee and the administration all gathered around the idea of improving the safety of our airways.

“We must do our part to enable the FAA and the Department of Transportation to make certain that America remains the standard for aviation and air safety. The sole integrator of the brand-new air traffic control system is set to be announced soon and will fully fund the Department of Transportation for FY26. It’s a necessary step to modernizing our airspace. We will hear from industry about ways to potentially insulate the FAA from future government shutdowns.

“I introduced legislation in many Congresses that allow for the continuation of essential FAA activities in the future shutdowns. By examining the delays, the cancelations, the staffing triggers and certification interruptions, we are laying the groundwork to support an industry that is critical to our country. Again, I thank all of our witnesses for being here, and I look forward to this discussion.”

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