US lawmakers aim to prevent FAA safety furloughs during government shutdowns

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday are introducing legislation to prevent the furloughing of FAA safety employees during government shutdowns. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman and other senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers are unveiling legislation to prevent furloughs and ensure air traffic controllers continue to be paid during shutdowns, according to a fact sheet. During the 2018-2019 federal government shutdown, more than 17,000 FAA employees -- 40% of the entire agency—were furloughed -- including the majority of the agency’s aviation safety inspectors. <br/>