Congress Reaches Deal to End Partial FAA Shutdown CheapOair Staff August 4, 2011 general Capitol Hill lawmakers have ended a partial FAA shutdown Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced a deal that will end a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration. A partial shutdown of the FAA began on July 23 after Congress failed to pass an extension of the agency’s existing budget authorization. The budget failed to pass over disagreements concerning union rights and subsidies for air service to rural communities. While those disagreements still persist, a tentative agreement will return 4,000 furloughed FAA employees to work and allow more than 200 airport construction projects to resume, according to Reid. The shutdown cost the government an estimated $30 million per day and affected an additional 70,000 private sector workers. Source: CBS News
