Lawmakers are talking about an estimated $30.5 billion “wish list” circulating on Capitol Hill to overhaul the nation’s aging air traffic control system as the ink still dries on the reconciliation law’s $12.5 billion down payment, sources familiar with discussions said.
That $30.5 billion figure is higher than Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s June estimate of at least $20 billion. The “wish list” — the phrase used by one source — estimate is likely unattainable unless the Federal Aviation Administration convinces lawmakers it can manage that much funding, the sources said.
The sources, including one former staffer with long experience of transportation on the Hill, added that appropriating more on top of the reconciliation law’s $12.5 billion to reach even $20 billion could be challenging unless Congress passes another reconciliation or supplemental bill.
