Proposal would set aside $30.1 billion for airports and air traffic control

The Transportation Secretary would award grants to sponsors of no more than three qualifying airports for terminal rehabilitation and modernization. An airport must be a medium hub when the measure is enacted, use a pre-1990 building as its active main passenger terminal, and have completed no full redevelopment or replacement of that terminal on or after January 1, 1990. Its project must be listed in the sponsor's capital plan, have completed environmental review, and be in final design. Applicants must explain which historic features they would preserve and show the project's expected benefits, need, design, readiness, and reasonable cost. The money could pay for terminal work and related airport systems, equipment, and cargo facilities. The Secretary would choose recipients and could add grant conditions. Federal money could cover no more than 90% of a project. Projects must follow applicable federal purchasing rules or the sponsor's required procedures for purchases made without federal funds. The Secretary could count necessary planning and preparation costs incurred before the grant agreement. Up to 3% of the pilot's money could pay administrative costs, and the pilot could not use the airport-improvement funding source named in section 48103 of title 49. The $10 billion would be set aside for fiscal 2027 and remain available until spent.

Congress would set aside $10.1 billion for four parts of the national air traffic control system. The funding would provide $300 million to consolidate terminal control facilities, $7.2 billion for common automation and controller workstations, $2 billion for cloud and telecommunications systems, and $600 million for traffic-flow technology. The FAA Administrator could move money among the four funded uses. The Administrator could also move funding among the categories listed in section 40003(a) of Public Law 119-21 and must include those transfers in reports required under that law. The fiscal 2027 money would remain available until spent. Spending reports to Congress would begin no later than 180 days after enactment and repeat every 90 days.

Congress would set aside $10 billion for local air traffic control facilities and two airport grant programs. The funding would provide $2 billion for terminal air traffic control facilities, $3 billion for authorized airport projects, and $5 billion for projects addressing aging airport terminals. The $3 billion grant pool would not follow the allocation formulas, special categories, minimum shares, or spending cap named in federal airport-grant law. The FAA could award the $5 billion terminal grants only to airports and projects eligible under the federal programs cited in the measure. For terminal grants, federal money would cover 80% of project costs at large or medium hubs and 95% at smaller or nonprimary airports. Up to 3% of the terminal funding could pay administrative costs. The money would be set aside for fiscal 2027 and remain available until spent.