Safety & Security

Statement from A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio on Reopening the Federal Government

January 25, 2019

We are grateful to elected leaders for coming together to reach an agreement that reopens the federal government for three weeks. This measure will allow the federal employees who protect and maintain our nation’s aviation system to be paid for the critical work they do.

We appreciate the men and women who have been going to work every day to ensure the safety and security of the traveling and shipping public, even though they missed two paychecks. We are proud to work alongside the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), air traffic controllers and other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees who serve our country, our communities and our airports with dignity.

As we have seen over the past 35 days, the pressures and strains of a shutdown are not sustainable; the disruptions to passengers, commerce and the economy are not tolerable. We urge elected leaders to continue working together to identify a solution that will keep the government open beyond February 15 and will continue paying the dedicated federal employees.