By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-980378.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – After the debt ceiling debate, most legislators are reportedly heading back to their districts for Congress' August recess before reauthorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.
The lack of funding has caused the agency to essentially be shutdown since July 22, when the latest budget extension expired and both the Senate and the House blocked competing reauthorization proposals.
About 4,000 agency employees in 35 states have been furloughed, and airplane inspectors and air traffic controllers, classified as "essential personnel," have reportedly been working without pay. Dan Stefko is one of those furloughed employees and president of the eastern region engineers and architects of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
"It's scary. We all have mortgages, and car payments. To go without a pay check for one week is scary, let alone six weeks until Congress gets back."
Stefko said that while there are no immediate safety concerns for the travelling public because air traffic controllers are still on the job, there is the possibility of service delays during the busy winter holiday travel season as equipment which is needed to ensure flight safety in inclement weather goes uninstalled and untested during the shutdown.
"We have equipment that's already out there, this will impact equipment that's going to be installed. It's behind the scenes. It's like no one cares who built the road until they hit a pothole and get a flat tire. That's where the people will see this."
"And that's going to be during one of the busiest travel times of the year, correct?"
"Absolutely."
In addition to possible future service delays, the shutdown has also grounded construction at airports across the country.
Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood met with agency officials at LaGuardia Airport in Queens to demand legislators deal with the issue before leaving for the month.
Construction at LaGuardia, along with projects in all 50 states, will be on hold until an agreement is reached to authorize the agency to disburse $2.5 billion in funding.
One of those projects may be the long awaited runway expansion at Pittsfield Municipal Airport; the FAA had been slated to contribute $6 million to the $22.5 million project through their Airport Improvement Program.
The Berkshire Eagle reported Tuesday that officials are moving forward with phase one of the project; Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto explains.
"Our funding is in phases. We fully expect to get the funds for phase one, phase two, we're going to have to wait and see when Congress gets back and take a deep breath and make sure we have the authorizations."
Ruberto said he has a call in to Congressman John Olver's office on the issue and that Senator John Kerry has arranged a call with all the state's mayors where he will bring up the project, noting that he would join FAA officials in urging legislators to address the shutdown as soon as they return to Washington.
"It's going to be critically important they take is up as soon as they get back. I see not only FAA positions but thousands of construction jobs at risk at a time when every job is critical."
Despite some reports that the Senate may stay in Washington through the recess to work out a deal, a Congressional staffer indicated Wednesday that legislators would likely not take up the issue until after Labor Day.