https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/march/11/white-house-unveils-2020-budget

ATC 'PRIVATIZATION' NOT A FACTOR IN WHITE HOUSE 2020 BUDGET

March 11, 2019 By Amelia Walsh

The unveiling of the White House’s $4.75 trillion budget on March 11
included $8.6 billion for a border wall, reductions in several
domestic programs, and a significant boost for the U.S. military. But noticeably absent from this year’s budget? Air traffic control
privatization.

The president's administration in the White House is one of the many government agencies with influence over general aviation. Photo by
David Tulis.
The president's administration in the White House is one of the many
government agencies with influence over general aviation. Photo by
David Tulis.
Despite a strong push for the removal of ATC from the FAA over the
last two years, the White House appears to have listened to the nearly
250 general aviation industry groups, bipartisan lawmakers, unions,
small airports, and state aviation departments on why the so-called “privatization” proposal did not solve the problems proponents
purported it would address.

The newly released fiscal year 2020 budget is a blueprint for the administration’s priorities and among other things calls for
improvements to the FAA’s air traffic infrastructure. Ultimately,
Congress will determine where and how much to provide the departments
and agencies across the federal government. The president’s budget
calls for the investment of $3.3 billion to modernize the nation’s ATC
system while improving safety and reducing flight delays. A proposed
$136 million infusion would expand the Data Communication program,
improving communication between controllers and pilots.
“We are very supportive of President Trump’s budget proposal to
modernize our nation’s air traffic system through improvements to
NextGen and not by an ATC giveaway,” said AOPA President Mark Baker.
“Our FAA controllers already do a fantastic job of keeping our ATC
system the safest and most efficient in the world and we need to
ensure they have the best technology available.”

The president’s budget also includes provisions for the Department of Transportation to keep pace with new technologies such as unmanned
aircraft systems, commercial space transportation, and autonomous
vehicles.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)