A House panel charged with funding the FAA recently rejected the Bush administration’s proposed $1 billion budget cut for airport improvement spending.
The Appropriations Committee’s transportation subcommittee recommended a congressionally authorized funding level of $3.7 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Under federal spending formulas, if AIP spending falls below $3.2 billion, annual entitlements of $150,000 for each GA airport are eliminated. The full Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the funding bill.