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Congress approves $12B FAA budget, ends partial shutdown after ~10,000 furloughs

Congress approved a $12 billion appropriation for the FAA, ending a partial agency shutdown that temporarily furloughed about 10,000 employees. The funding restores operations, resumes safety oversight and certifications, and averts further disruptions across U.S. airspace after recent staffing gaps.

Discovered 2026-02-03T11:37:55.106946-08:00 | 2026-02-03T11:37:55.106946-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Ends immediate operational disruption: $12B appropriation ends the FAA partial shutdown and restores work to roughly 10,000 furloughed employees — see the recent funding lapse.
Stabilizes near-term ATC capacity and oversight, reducing risk of flight caps and service constraints imposed during the stoppage (context on airport cuts and agency decisions available here).
Leaves policy changes in play: Congress is advancing measures to insulate FAA operations during funding gaps and to guarantee controller pay, developments that will shape how future shutdown risk is managed (see legislative action here and proposals on controller pay here).