Arlington, Va. (Feb. 29, 2024) – Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Eric Fanning today released the following statement after congressional leadership announced an agreement on fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills:
“The Aerospace Industries Association welcomes news that Congress has reached a path forward on funding key federal departments and agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA.
“While we are disappointed that yet another continuing resolution is required to cross this finish line when we are already five months into the fiscal year, this outcome is far preferable to the alternative — a government shutdown. The lack of full-year funding has put key government programs in purgatory, wasted taxpayer money on outdated budgets, and hindered forward progress that will make our country more secure, push us to the next levels of technological advancement, and support American competitiveness in key industries like aerospace.
“Furthermore, we urge negotiators to reach a swift solution on the remaining six bills, especially funding for the Department of Defense. Failing to do so would harm our national security, jeopardize the health of the defense industrial base, and telegraph a message of weakness to America’s adversaries.
“As we await further details on this first tranche of bills, we stand with Congress and the appropriators working overtime to fully fund the federal government and protect American leadership in aerospace and defense.”
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