Legislative Issues on ALPA's Pilot-Partisan Agenda

The following are among the hot-topic issues on the Association’s legislative agenda that the union’s elected leaders, members, and staff are working to address in 2025 with the 119th Congress and the White House.

The Safer Skies Act

On March 26, Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, stood with U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23) on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol as he announced the introduction of the Safer Skies Act. The bipartisan bill would require the Transportation Security Administration to hold FAR Part 135/Department of Transportation Part 380 air carriers that operate scheduled passenger service with more than nine seats to the same security standards as any other U.S. scheduled passenger airline. Currently, several Part 135/Part 380 operators conduct scheduled flights to ticketed passengers with publicly available schedules to and from facilities that often don’t have the same level of security screening as required for FAR Part 121 scheduled airline operations.

This legislation would mandate that the TSA update its security screening requirements for Part 135/Part 380 operators that conduct common-carriage passenger-carrying operations, offer individual seats in advance, provide publicly available schedules, and conduct operations with more than nine seats. It also would ensure that any Part 135/Part 380 operators are held to the same TSA security standards as any other scheduled airline.

This bipartisan commonsense legislation closes security screening gaps, ensuring that every passenger on every flight will go through the same security screening standards to help keep North American skies safe. “Allowing Part 135/Part 380 operators to take advantage of less-strict security protocols introduces risk into our aviation system,” Ambrosi said during the March press conference. “Passengers deserve the same high level of aviation security regardless of their departure point and destination. By addressing the security threats created by the loophole, we close a dangerous precedent that could spark a race to the bottom and wholly undermine aviation security. The Safer Skies Act is one important step toward what our industry needs at this critical moment in history.”

The lead Democratic cosponsor of the bill is Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX-33). Since its introduction, 35 members of Congress have added their names as cosponsors of the legislation, which is awaiting consideration by the House Homeland Security Committee.

Langworthy, a keynote speaker at the Association’s 2024 Legislative Summit, also used the March 26 press event to launch the congressional Aviation Safety Caucus. This bipartisan caucus is led by Langworthy along with cochairs Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI-1) and Veasey and aims to reach across the aisle to advance critical aviation safety policies that prioritize the long-term safety of U.S. airspace. The caucus currently has 33 bipartisan members. ALPA worked closely with Langworthy in 2024 when he successfully fought to amend the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to maintain the FAA’s first officer training and qualification regulations.

Secondary Barriers

On July 22, the FAA announced a one-year delay in implementing the requirement for installed physical secondary barriers on all new commercial passenger airliners manufactured. The requirement was scheduled to go into effect Aug. 25, 2025.

“The FAA’s decision to grant airlines yet another delay on the secondary barrier rule is deeply disappointing and undermines our nation’s aviation security,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, following the announcement. “While we acknowledge this ruling falls short of the unacceptable delay requested by Airlines for America [A4A], this extension still compromises the safety and security of our skies.”

ALPA had called on the FAA to uphold the installation of secondary barriers on newly manufactured airliners and urged the agency to deny A4A’s petition seeking to delay compliance with the final rule for up to two additional years.

The barriers are designed to thwart hostile actors from accessing the flight deck when the primary door is opened in flight—a routine necessity that still leaves aircraft exposed to security threats. Despite reinforced flight deck doors becoming standard after 9/11, the opening of those doors during flight—for lavatory use, crew changes, or meal delivery—remains a period of significant vulnerability.

A4A’s petition claimed that additional time was needed to develop crew training programs and barrier integration, requesting an exemption from the time line set by the FAA in its 2023 final rule. ALPA strongly contested A4A’s claim.

The history of secondary barrier advocacy stretches back more than two decades. In the wake of 9/11, the FAA acted quickly to require reinforced flight deck doors, a mandate that was implemented within just 15 months. As early as 2003, two major U.S. airlines voluntarily installed secondary barriers. By 2011, industry stakeholders had produced guidance through the RTCA on design and deployment. In 2015, the FAA formally recognized the value of secondary barriers, and in 2018, Congress included a mandate for their installation as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act.

After years of study, advocacy, and rulemaking, the FAA issued a final rule in 2023, requiring secondary barriers on new airliners by August 2025.

The need for secondary barriers has only grown more urgent in recent years. Incidents involving unruly passengers, attempted breaches, and in-flight disturbances remain a regular occurrence. During flight deck transitions, flight attendants are often the last line of defense.

“This pattern of endless delays must stop,” Ambrosi asserted. “Airlines have had ample time—two full years—to comply with this congressionally mandated safety requirement; yet once again, they’re shirking their responsibility to implement this critical security measure.”

Appropriations Update

The congressional appropriations process for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 is now in full swing after the Trump administration put forward its initial budget proposal in late May. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have held numerous budget and oversight hearings with cabinet officials, including Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy and then FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau. While the administration’s budget proposal is an important part of the annual budget process, Congress ultimately has the final say on spending levels for the upcoming FY. The following are several priority issues that the union’s elected leaders, members, and Government Affairs staff are working to include in the appropriations bills this year.

Transportation Appropriations

On July 17, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill on a largely party-line vote. The legislation provides funding for the DOT and the FAA.

The FAA would receive an overall funding boost to $23.96 billion, about $2.3 billion above current funding levels, to fully fund air traffic control (ATC) operations, allow for the hiring of 2,500 new controllers, and bolster ongoing efforts to upgrade airports, ATC facilities, and FAA equipment. Importantly, the measure contains several ALPA priorities, including

• Report language that supports having two pilots on the flight deck and reiterates that funding “shall not support reductions in flight deck crew in commercial operations as provided under 14 CFR Part 121.”
• For the first time, the bill provides $3 million in dedicated funding to address staffing shortfalls in the Office of Aerospace Medicine and reduce medical certification backlogs for pilots and controllers.
• Report language that expresses congressional support and continued funding for the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) program to mitigate drug and alcohol abuse.
• Report language that urges the DOT to review its outdated Statement of International Air Transportation Policy, internal guidance that in the past has been used to justify detrimental “flags of convenience”–style aviation agreements.
• Rejection of efforts by the airline industry to include proautomation language.

Democrats on the Appropriations Committee opposed the measure due to concerns about cuts to rail, transit, and housing programs. The measure now awaits consideration on the House floor, where its prospects are uncertain. The Senate is currently drafting its own version of the THUD funding bill for possible consideration later this summer. Ultimately, Congress will need to forge a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on overall funding levels to enact THUD and other spending bills into law. These bills are unlikely to pass both chambers before the start of the federal FY on October 1, which would require a temporary continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown. ALPA will continue to aggressively advocate for these and other Association priorities as the budget process moves forward.

Federal Fight Deck Officer Program

On June 24, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2026 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, which included the highest-ever funding level for the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program. This will allow the Transportation Security Administration to continue reducing the backlog of background investigations for FFDO candidates, fully fund the FFDO initial training program, and expand recurrent training capacity. The accompanying report includes language that the committee “strongly supports the additional aviation security provided by FFDOs. The recommendation provides $32,307,000 for the FFDO and crew training program.”

The measure currently awaits consideration on the House floor, and the Senate must still pass its version of the DHS appropriations bill. ALPA will continue to work with congressional allies to underscore the program’s value to aviation security and ensure that the FFDO program makes progress on completing the standalone FFDO recurrent training program facility in Atlanta, Ga., and establishing a West Coast recurrent training program.

National Mediation Board

The National Mediation Board (NMB) plays an important role in the collective bargaining process for ALPA members. The union has worked diligently to ensure that the NMB remains fully functional, especially since the new administration has effectively shuttered other independent agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, crippling the ability of many workers in the private sector to organize or resolve labor-management disputes. Currently, the NMB leadership has been preserved, but the administration’s budget proposal seeks to cut the board’s funding, even though the NMB currently lacks a full complement of expert mediators.

The Association is working with members on both sides of the aisle to ensure that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees understand the NMB’s role in the aviation sector and to reject any proposed cuts that would make an already lengthy process even more difficult for ALPA pilot groups presently in negotiations.

Reconciliation Update

Congress has spent much of its time in recent months crafting and negotiating a reconciliation bill, a large budget bill considered under special parliamentary rules that allow for fast-track passage, avoiding the typical 60-vote threshold in the Senate. This reconciliation bill is separate from the annual appropriations process and was completely controlled by the Republican majorities in the House and Senate along with the White House. The measure passed the Senate on July 1, passed the House on July 3, and was signed into law by President Trump on July 4.

The union worked for months to ensure that the reconciliation bill didn’t include provisions that would harm ALPA members, such as unilaterally raising pilot retirement age, while supporting the inclusion of several key priorities, such as a major “down payment” of $12.5 billion for air traffic control equipment and infrastructure modernization. The air traffic control resources include dedicated funding for facility repairs, radar upgrades, new telecommunications equipment, and additional runway safety and surface surveillance technology.

ALPA engaged with the relevant House and Senate committees to include pilots in the “no tax on overtime” provision when the bill was considered by each chamber. The provision, which limits the amount of overtime pay that can be excluded from federal taxable income, was included in the final reconciliation law. Specifically:

• $12,500 for single filers, and
• $25,000 for joint filers.

This provision phases out when income exceeds

• $150,000 for single filers (at $162,500 modified adjusted gross income per year for a single filer, the tax deduction would be zero), and
• $300,000 for joint filers.

Workers under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), including pilots and flight attendants, are exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Specifically, 29 USC 213 exemptions state, “any employee of a carrier subject to the provisions of Title II of the [RLA]” isn’t subject “to provisions of Section 207 of the title,” which establishes overtime. Adding RLA workers was deemed to violate the “Byrd Rule,” which requires provisions to be strictly budgetary and was not allowed in the underlying bill. During debate on the Senate bill, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) offered an amendment that would extend the no-tax-on-overtime provision to RLA workers, and ALPA worked to ensure the amendment appropriately included pilots. Unfortunately, the amendment didn’t receive a vote on the Senate floor.

Important tax provisions that support the development of sustainable aviation fuels were preserved. However, the reconciliation measure included a provision authorizing the sale of spectrum for wireless communication adjacent to the spectrum used for aircraft radio altimeters. ALPA remains concerned that without proper review and mitigation, there may be a repeat of the problems encountered when similar spectrum was auctioned in 2020 during the rollout of 5G. The Association will continue to engage with the FAA, congressional leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure that this provision doesn’t adversely affect aviation safety.

Confirmation of New FAA Administrator

On July 9, the U.S. Senate confirmed Bryan Bedford as the administrator of the FAA.

ALPA appreciates that Bedford’s stated priority will be to support the administration’s plan to modernize the antiquated U.S. air traffic control system, and the Association looks forward to working with him and his team to implement it.

However, ALPA has concerns about his past efforts to lower pilot training requirements. The Association will continue to bring the line pilot’s perspective to any discussions about changing these lifesaving measures and hold the FAA administrator to his word that safety is his top priority. “Maintaining rigorous training requirements and keeping two pilots on the flight deck at all times remain top priorities for ALPA,” Capt. Jason Ambrosi, the Association’s president, reaffirmed after Bedford’s confirmation.

This article was originally published in the August 2025 issue of Air Line Pilot.