“As I reviewed my President’s Perspective from the Fall 2025 Managing the Skies, I got the thinking about just how much has changed since then. Not only did we endure a historic 43-day government shutdown, we also delivered and experienced an outstanding FAAMA Convention in Henderson, NV.”

“Let’s briefly discuss the longest government shutdown in history. At times I felt angry and disenfranchised as I went without being paid. However, there also were many positive moments when our aviation partners showed up at the front gates, bringing pizza, doughnuts, sandwiches, and just plain encouragement.”

“They emphasized how grateful they were for everything we did for them—day in and day out. It was reassuring to know that we were more than just a job. We were dedicated, productive public servants to our flying community.”

“FAAMA members came together more than ever before, reaching out to Members of Congress to explain what this senseless shutdown did to them individually and demonstrating how it negatively impacts the progress we are committed to achieve.”

“During the shutdown, FAAMA had a multitude of meetings with Members of Congress and their staffs. The interesting and somewhat surprising part is how many of these meetings were initiated by our elected representatives. They reached out to us to ask specific questions about our perspectives both on the current situation and on how it is affecting the future. Once again, they were reminded of how valuable FAAMA is as a resource for them.”

“For many years, FAAMA has worked tirelessly to change the law in order to ensure that the FAA receives funding to pay employees in the event of a government shutdown. Certainly, I believe government employees shouldn’t be impacted financially when Congress fails to do its job.”

“Also, during a government shutdown, I believe the fact that we are required to work without pay is horrendous. To counteract this situation—which has occurred far too many times—FAAMA is pushing legislation such as the Aviation Funding Stability Act, in the form of a temporary loan from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to ensure we get paid during a shutdown.”

“Several times, we’ve come close to passage, but continue to run into various obstacles that prevented it from happening. Whether it is this specific bill or a similar piece of legislation, this time will be different.”

“In fact, we recently learned that Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen—both of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee—introduced a bill to provide FAA funding from a different source in case of another government shutdown. In the end, we are not picky about which pot funding comes from—as long as FAA funding is provided in the event of a shutdown.”

“Now is not the time to be angry and shut down. Now is the time to use this momentum to keep applying pressure to Members of Congress to pass legislation to protect us, ensuring that we continue to thrive as we maintain our position as the world’s gold standard in air traffic control!”

“In short, when life gives you lemons, make orange juice, and leave the world wondering how you did it!” 🍋