NextGen gets USD2.1 billion in Obama budget

President Barack Obama introduced his transportation budget yesterday, calling for a USD285 million increase in NextGen funding to USD1.1 billion. In addition, a USD1 billion NextGen capital programme is included in the budget. In more good news, the budget dropped last year’s plans to raise user fees for air traffic control and user groups hailed that move. Even so, it did contain a USD1 increase in the passenger security fee for three years beginning in 2012. The air traffic control user fee was floated in a footnote in last year’s budget as something the Administration would impose in the future. However, the pending Senate reauthorization bill introduced last summer, does include such a fee. The ATA also noted that the FAA budget proposed for the FAA includes a 30% increase over last year. [2475 words]

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This report contains the following subheadings:

• Billion-dollar, high-speed rail budget
• NextGen Budget
• Austerity for 2011 and beyond
• Help snatched away?
• Assumptions
• Tax relief not likely
• Budget not the only problem
• Budget details