On Friday, September 29, the president signed a six-month extension of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s authorization, allowing the agency to continue to fully operate. For now, air traffic control operations remain within the federal government.

However, the fight over privatization is not over. The White House is asking the House to vote on FAA reauthorization legislation, H.R.2997, early this month. There is still time to contact your lawmakers and tell them you are opposed to any attempt to privatize the air traffic control system. Find your members district offices and contact info here.

The nation’s debt limit was raised $2.5 trillion last week to give the federal government enough borrowing power to pay its bills through the midterm elections in 2022 and into 2023. The Senate and House voted along party lines to send the measure to President Biden for signature. The debt limit is for money borrowed to pay for budget items that have already been passed by Congress.

If the debt limit weren’t raised in time and the Treasury Department ran out of cash, the government would have to prioritize which financial obligations to meet, putting federal salaries at risk of not being paid on time. The debt limit deal was signed just before December 15, the date Treasury officials believed the government would begin to default on its debt.