Regulations and Government
Industry vows to fight proposed FY09 budget
When the FAA unveiled its Fiscal Year 2009 budget, it was another sign that the budget battle and the threat of user fees is far from over.

When the FAA unveiled its Fiscal Year 2009 budget, it was another sign that the budget battle and the threat of user fees is far from over. “What part of ‘no’ doesn’t the White House understand?” asked AOPA president Phil Boyer. “They just changed the dates and submitted essentially the same proposal as last year–a proposal soundly rejected by the general aviation community, the House and the Senate.”

The federal budget proposal for FY2009 (Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, 2009) would cut from the FAA budget nearly $1 billion, or 22 percent, from what Congress had approved for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP).