The New York Times: Senate Fails to End Partial Shutdown at F.A.A. (357 hits)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 -- 7:21 PM EDT
After dealing with the debt crisis, Senate negotiators tried and failed Tuesday to end a stalemate over temporary funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, leaving 4,000 F.A.A. employees out of work and relying on airport safety inspectors to continue working without pay.
The partial F.A.A. shutdown, which began July 23 and is likely to continue at least through Labor Day, has also idled tens of thousands of construction workers on airport projects around the country. Dozens of airport inspectors have been asked by the F.A.A. to work without pay and to charge their government travel expenses to their personal credit cards to keep airports operating safely.
Breaking News Alert The New York Times Thursday, August 4, 2011-----
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Says Agreement Reached to Reopen F.A.A.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Congress reached an agreement to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, the Associated Press reported. The agreement ends a partial shutdown of the agency that left 74,000 transportation and construction employees out of work and 40 safety inspectors working without pay.
When F.A.A. financing expired last month, the agency also lost the ability to collect taxes on airline tickets. Those taxes amount to about $30 million a day and are paid into a trust fund that pays for much of its operations.
The impasse centered on disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over a program that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports. But behind the scenes, a larger fight has been taking place over federal rules on labor elections in the airline industry.
