By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) – A bipartisan spending deal announced by U.S. lawmakers Tuesday provides funding for 2,500 air traffic controllers and $2.4 billion for U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak, while cutting funds for electric vehicle charging and high-speed rail.
The congressional funding deal also includes $514 million to subsidize air services to rural communities, known as the Essential Air Service program, rejecting a White House proposal to cut the program by 50%, and boosts annual funding to modernize air traffic control towers by $824 million.
The budget bill provides $2 million for an independent study on the airspace in the Washington, D.C. area after a January 2025 crash between a U.S. Army helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet killed 67 people and exposed significant weaknesses in aviation safety.
The Federal Aviation Administration is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, with many working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. Congress last year approved $12.5 billion to modernize the aging U.S. air traffic control system, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants another $19 billion to complete the project.
The bill also redirects $879 million in electric vehicle charging network funds approved under then-President Joe Biden to other infrastructure priorities, and cuts $928 million in high-speed rail grants. It also provides $100 million for supplemental support for transit agencies in the 11 U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and $94 million for transportation assistance relating to the 2028 Olympic Games.
The bill also rejects a funding cut proposed for the Transportation Security Administration by the White House, which had sought a 3-4% cut to TSA staffing levels — with half to stop staffing exit lanes that let people re-enter public areas from secure parts of an airport. The budget includes $300 million to fund exit-lane staffing.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Peter Graff)
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