(NewsNation) — Aviation industry stakeholders will speak before a House subcommittee on Wednesday about the first year under standards established by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Reauthorization Act of 2024, signed into law last May, effectively outlined the modernization of the national airspace system, ordered higher air traffic control hiring limits and set a five-year funding plan for the administration and its programs — up to $105.5 billion, a 9% increase from the previous law.
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Industry leaders are expected to share their perspectives on the law’s execution so far in a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation.
Expected witnesses include:
Darren Pleasance, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president and CEO
Edward Bolen, National Business Aviation Association president and CEO
Capt. Jody Reven, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association president
Sara Nelson, Association of Flight Attendants international president
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The FAA has faced fierce criticism amid a perceived increase in aviation incidents, air traffic control staffing shortages, firings from the Trump administration and widespread tech issues.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 2026 budget request seeks $26.7 billion to overhaul the federal agency. That’s an additional $1.5 billion, a 5.8% increase, compared to the 2025 fiscal year’s budget.
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That includes a $1.2 billion increase for air traffic modernization and operations, $596 million to ramp up our port and shipyard infrastructure, a $400 million boost for freight rail safety and $770 million for multimodal freight expansion.
In May, Duffy promised to “work with Congress, get the money and begin to build a brand-new system as quickly as possible.”
NewsNation’s Xavier Walton contributed to this report.
