{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-backs-effort-keep-air-travel-safe-employees-paid-during-government", "Davids Backs Effort to Keep Air Travel Safe, Employees Paid During Government Shutdowns", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced her support for new legislation to ensure the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can keep operating \u2014 and paying employees \u2014 during a government shutdown. The bill would help protect passenger safety and keep goods moving, avoiding the kind of disruptions that forced the end of the 2018\u201319 shutdown, when unpaid air traffic controllers and safety inspectors called in sick and flight delays rippled across the country.\n\n\u201cWhether you\u2019re traveling for work, visiting family, or waiting for a package to be delivered, Kansans depend on a safe, reliable aviation system,\u201d said Davids. \u201cWe cannot afford political gridlock that puts that at risk. I\u2019m working with both parties to get the government back open \u2014 but until then, this commonsense effort ensures air traffic controllers, inspectors, and other safety workers can keep doing their jobs \u2014 and get paid \u2014 no matter what happens in Washington.\u201d\n\nDuring a government shutdown, about 12,800 air traffic controllers, rail safety, and hazmat inspectors are required to work without pay, while other FAA employees face furloughs. Under current law, the FAA can only use its Airport and Airway Trust Fund to stay open for 30 days during a shutdown. This bill would let the FAA continue operating beyond that limit so air travel and safety operations are not interrupted and employees are paid.\n\nThe FAA\u2019s number of fully certified air traffic controllers is well below recommended levels, forcing many to work overtime in high-pressure environments. Following the DCA plane collision and ongoing concerns, Davids has taken multiple steps to improve air safety:\n\nConfronting Workforce and Safety Gaps\n\nDuring a House T&I hearing, Davids highlighted how controller shortages and outdated technology endanger passengers.\n\nShe condemned President Trump\u2019s decision to fire hundreds of FAA employees and urged DOT Secretary Sean Duffy to implement staffing and safety reforms passed in the FAA Reauthorization Act.\n\nCalling Out Conflicts of Interest\n\nDavids called attention to a potential conflict after Elon Musk suggested the FAA cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon in favor of his company, Starlink.\n\nResponding to the Recent Collision\n\nAfter the incident, Davids again pushed Secretary Duffy to swiftly carry out aviation safety reforms included in the FAA Reauthorization.\n\nWhen the NTSB released its preliminary report, she called on the FAA to adopt its early recommendations to help prevent future tragedies.\n\nModernizing Outdated Systems\n\nIn a separate hearing, Davids pressed former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, who served under former President Biden, on the slow pace of modernizing critical landing systems.\n\nShe noted that 81 percent of Kansas\u2019 systems are functionally obsolete and, at the current replacement rate, it would take over a century to update them \u2014 calling for urgent action to ensure Kansans\u2019 safety.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-backs-effort-keep-air-travel-safe-employees-paid-during-government"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7726169899106026, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}