FAA And NTSB Reauthorization: A Lesson In Bipartisanship
Nerding out with our D.C. aviation colleagues.
When President Joe Biden signed into law the sweeping five-year reauthorization package FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reauthorization package into law on May 16, it’s fair to say it was a big relief to many across the U.S. aviation industry because these things rarely go smoothly. It put in motion a 1,000-page bill that incorporates more than 1,200 measures and directives, including many that affect the business and general aviation community.
What seemed special about this bill was a determination to keep it bipartisan, which meant numerous compromises on the front end.
BJT sister publication AIN monthly magazine editor Kerry Lynch spoke with the committee’s Republican chairman Sam Graves about what it took to get the bill passed and why it matters so much to the industry. As AIN’s senior editor based in Washington, DC, Kerry has followed the sometimes tortuous path to reauthorizations for many years and so she is well placed to get to the bottom of how this breakthrough happened.