Congress is already preparing for the next shutdown, writing a bill to pay air traffic controllers when the parties inevitably clash again | Fortune

"The bill proposes funding salaries, operating expenses and other Federal Aviation Administration programs by tapping into a little-used fund with $2.6 billion that was created to reimburse airlines if the government commandeers their planes and they are damaged. The bill's sponsors, which include four of the top Republicans and Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, hope that relying on the fund might make their bill more attractive than other proposals because it would limit the potential cost of dolling out paychecks."

""We all saw that the system can be vulnerable when Congress can't get its job done," Graves said. "This bill guarantees that controllers, who have one of the most high-pressure jobs in the nation, will get paid during any future funding lapses and that air traffic control, aviation safety, and the traveling public will never again be negatively impacted by shutdowns." The bill's introduction comes ahead of a scheduled hearing Wednesday by a Senate subcommittee to examine the impacts of the 43-day shutdown on aviation."

Congressmembers introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure air traffic controllers receive pay during future government shutdowns. The bill would fund salaries, operating expenses and other FAA programs by using a $2.6 billion airline-reimbursement fund originally created to compensate airlines for commandeered and damaged planes. Sponsors include senior Republicans and Democrats from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who argue the fund use would limit costs of paying controllers. Supporters say the measure will protect aviation safety and the traveling public. A Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on shutdown impacts, but the bill faces unclear prospects before the next funding deadline.

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