Working for You
A4A Supports the Aviation Funding Solvency Act
December 17, 2025
The letter was originally sent to Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on December 17, 2025.
Dear Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen:
Airlines for America (A4A) is writing to applaud your bipartisan leadership in introducing the Aviation Funding Solvency Act (H.R. 6086) and to urge members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to vote in support of this critical legislation. This bill will ensure that our nation’s aviation system–specifically our federal aviation safety and controller workforce–are not directly subjected to the strain of another government shutdown.
During the most recent shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took the unprecedented action of requiring airlines to cancel flights in order to proactively address safety risks they identified as result of the strain caused by federal employees being unpaid. This is unacceptable and completely unnecessary given that there are monies that have already been paid by users of the system and can be tapped to keep the FAA and its employees whole. The most recent shutdown resulted in 9,245 flight cancellations, negatively impacting over 6.2 million passengers. A4A estimates that this shutdown cost the broader travel and tourism industry, including aviation, $7.2 billion.
There is no reason for our nation’s economy, aviation system or consumer base to be subjected to a repeat of the chaos and destruction caused by this year’s government shutdown. That is why we support your bill, which uses monies already paid to the federal government, that will preserve the safety and operational integrity of the aviation system. This includes ensuring continuity in compensation for essential employees at the FAA, including air traffic controllers, technicians, safety inspectors and certification personnel.
Policymakers must fulfill their responsibilities and spare the U.S. economy from any further damage that is caused by funding lapses. We urge legislative action now to keep our nation’s aviation system functioning during any future shutdowns.
Sincerely,
Christopher T. Sununu
President & CEO, Airlines for America