While 2020 was a busy general election year, PASS joined many political action committees (PACs) and lawmakers in significantly curtailing election and campaign spending in light of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world and Capitol Hill grappled with working from home and embraced video conferencing, PASS found creative ways to remain engaged with lawmakers to advocate for aviation safety, federal employee benefits, workplace safety and more.
In the increasingly polarized political environment, a strong PAC is more important than ever and allows PASS to work with members of Congress on critical issues regardless of political party. PASS remains focused on the issues that impact you: protections for federal employees and the safety of the National Airspace System. Supporting those who maintain the world’s largest and safest airspace 365 days a year should never be a partisan issue. The 2020 election resulted in one of the most closely divided congresses in modern history and having a strong PAC gives us a seat at the table where decisions and compromises are being made that directly impact PASS members. Contributions to the PASS PAC are essential to building and fostering meaningful relationships with lawmakers and their staff. By law, union dues are not used for partisan political activity and PAC contributions are voluntarily made.
In 2020, PASS members contributed $215,253 to the PAC fund. During the year, the PAC contributed $90,878 to 44 congressional candidates and committees.
2020 in Review
Attacks on federal employees continued to mount in 2020, as the final budget proposal released under the Trump administration included harmful provisions aimed at federal employee pay and retirement benefits. The budget sought to reduce the planned 2.5 percent pay raise to 1 percent and to reform benefit and annual leave calculations. PASS, along with other federal employee organizations, was able to rally support behind federal workers and keep the most harmful attacks from becoming law and defeated a last-minute effort to freeze federal pay for 2021. Funding instability remained a theme throughout the end of 2020 as Congress and the White House were unable to find common ground on appropriations legislation and went back and forth on multiple continuing resolutions to keep the government funded. Throughout this process, PASS worked closely with allies on the Hill to keep federal employee pay and benefits off the chopping block and ensure the FAA remains fully funded, narrowly avoiding a shutdown.
As the COVID-19 pandemic grounded air travel in late March, the airline industry faced unprecedented funding shortfalls. Congress stepped in to provide much needed relief to the industry in the form of subsidies, including a tax holiday on passenger ticket taxes for 2020. PASS was quick to highlight that this created the potential for harmful long-term impacts to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) as ticket taxes would no longer be flowing into the account that funds nearly 99 percent of the FAA’s operations. Alongside several other organizations, PASS ensured that the AATF was fully funded for 2021 and the balance was restored to avoid any disruptions to the system.
Throughout the year, Congress sustained momentum on crafting aircraft certification reform legislation resulting from the two crashes that took the lives of 346 people and led to the global grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. PASS worked closely with the House and the Senate as lawmakers pursued legislation alongside multiple investigations. These efforts ultimately resulted in bipartisan legislation that brings delegated work back into the FAA and increases safety oversight, actions for which PASS has long advocated. PASS claimed victory in December when the legislation was included in a year-end funding package and signed into law.
PASS was also instrumental in securing statutory paid parental leave for FAA employees. In 2019, Congress passed a provision in the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill that included 12 weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers, but due to a technical oversight, employees at the FAA were not included in the provision’s coverage. While PASS entered into an agreement with the FAA to provide paid parental leave, which went into effect on October 1, PASS continued to lobby Congress to ensure that the provision was formally recognized in statute to protect the benefit. This benefit was codified in the 2021 NDAA.
Throughout the year, PASS worked with its members across the country to identify candidates and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who supported federal employees and believed in strengthening the safety of our aviation system. Through the generous contributions to the PASS PAC, valuable relationships were formed with newly elected and existing members of Congress throughout the country. Cultivating new relationships is critical as existing PASS allies on Capitol Hill retire or leave Congress while new members are elected.
PASS is looking forward to working with the first session of the 117th Congress. Democrats have an incredibly narrow majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and bipartisanship will be key as many battles lie ahead.
Thank you for your contributions in 2020. Please encourage your fellow members to contribute to the PAC, which will allow us to continue fighting for you on Capitol Hill and conveying the message that a sustained investment in the dedicated FAA workforce is essential to a safe aviation system.
Please find additional materials below regarding the PASS PAC. If you have any questions, please contact Legislative Affairs Director Sophie White or Legal and Legislative Assistant Tony Amato. You are also encouraged to reach out to your regional member on the PASS National Legislative Committee to find out how you can become more involved today!
*Under federal labor law unions are forbidden from spending money on political activities. The PASS PAC was established to identify and contribute money to qualified candidates who will weigh the interests of the PASS membership when they vote on legislation crucial to the federal workforce and the FAA/DoD.
Resources and Documentation
PASS National Legislative Committee
PASS PAC Financial Statement and Distributions
PASS 2020 Federal Election Commission Report
2021 Congressional Calendar (combined House/Senate)
Senators up for re-election in 2022
All 435 seats in the House will be up for re-election. PASS will post a list of House members not seeking re-election closer to the election.
Congressional Committees
PASS works with members of Congress who sit on committees of importance to PASS members. Information regarding these committees can be found below.
HOUSE
SENATE
