19. Department of Transportation · Notable · Needs Congress
Separate the ATO from the FAA and move its headquarters out of Washington
Printed page 634 19. Department of Transportation
“Separate the ATO from the FAA and relocate it to separate headquarters outside the District of Columbia.”
What has happened
- Not started
Congress moved the other way and wrote a prohibition into permanent-effect appropriations language: section 119G of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 provides that none of the funds in this or any other Act shall be used to plan, design, or implement the privatization or separation of the air traffic organization functions of the FAA. Section 119H separately bars building any new Air Traffic Control Training Academy outside the existing Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. No bill, executive order or Federal Register document proposes moving the ATO out of the FAA or relocating its headquarters.
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
- This finding also bears on #1737 (
major, separate the FAA from DOT or the ATO from the FAA), whose 2026-08-26 not started note records only the absence of a proposal. Section 119G is a positive contrary instrument and should be carried into #1737 in the ticket 26 consistency review; #1741 and #1742, which assume a separated ATO, cite it too. - The FY2027 Budget’s DOT chapter proposes no separation either; it funds BNATCS inside the FAA.
- Action
- transfer
- Object
- Air Traffic Organization
- ID
- 1740