Airport Alert: House Appropriations Subcommittee Approves FY22 DOT Spending Bill
July 12, 2021
The House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee late today approved a Fiscal Year 2022 spending bill for the Department of Transportation that proposes $3.35 billion for AIP, an additional $400 million for supplemental discretionary grants, and a $5.2 million increase for the FAA Contract Tower Program.
Subcommittee Chair David Price (D-NC) said the FY22 spending bill "is an opportunity to prove that Congress is serious about addressing our nation's infrastructure, particularly as we contemplate the transition from the pandemic to full recovery." He went on to call the measure a "down payment" on the administration's American Jobs Plan.
Ranking Member Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) highlighted funding for airport infrastructure and ATC modernization, which he said supports "the busiest and also the safest air traffic control system in the entire planet." But he said he couldn't support the overall bill, in part, because it calls for a $9 billion increase when the federal debt exceeds $28 trillion.
Panel members refrained from offering amendments during today's subcommittee markup. We expect lawmakers may propose changes to the bill when the full committee considers the measure on Friday morning.
Airport-Related Highlights
Airport Funding: The House bill includes $3.35 billion for the traditional AIP account in FY22. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of Senators and the White House are trying to hash out an agreement on a broader five-year infrastructure package that could include an additional $20 billion for AIP and terminal projects.
Supplemental Airport Improvement Program Funding: The measure also proposes an additional $400 million in supplemental AIP discretionary grants. Of that amount, approximately $80 million would be reserved for earmarks, which are officially known as "Community Project Funding" requests.
Earmarks: Price said his subcommittee received more than 1,000 requests for earmarks, and the bill includes funding for almost 970 projects. More information on the member requests and the projects funded by the subcommittee may be viewed here.
Contract Towers: The House bill includes $178 million for the Contract Tower Program — $5.2 million more than the current level. This is the same amount that AAAE and the U.S. Contract Tower Association requested. It would fund all 258 contract towers currently in the program and allow the FAA to add other airports during the next fiscal year.
Essential Air Service: The measure includes $247.7 million in discretionary funding for the Essential Air Service Program. Coupled with an estimated $116 million from overflight fees, the overall funding level for EAS would rise to approximately $363.7 million in FY22. That is same as the administration's budget request and $67.7 million more than the current level.
Small Community Air Service Development: The measure provides $10 million for the Small Community Air Service Development Program. This funding, which comes from the AIP account, is the same amount that Congress approved for the program in FY20 and in FY21.
Cost Free Space: The House bill includes a AAAE-backed proposal that would continue to prohibit the FAA from requiring airports to provide space free of charge in airport-owned buildings.
Airport Cooperative Research Program: The measure includes $15 million for the Airport Cooperative Research Program with funding coming from AIP.
Contract Weather Observers: The bill would continue to block the FAA from eliminating the Contact Weather Observers program at any airport.
