ATO’s budget, submitted for review to senior officials
at FAA, the Department of Transportation, the Office
of Management and Budget, and Congress, lacks detail
on the impact of planned funding cuts to ATC
modernization and activities related to the
modernization of the NAS, according to the report.
It said that under constrained budget targets FAA is
getting about $2 billion less than it had planned to
spend through 2009, so the agency has cut planned
funding to start new projects and reduced planned
funding in other areas.
ATO needs to provide these decision makers with
detailed information about the impact of the funding
decisions, said GAO.
In commenting on the report, House Government Reform
Committee chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., said that while
he was pleased FAA cut funding for underperforming
systems and is reassessing investment decisions, the
agency is likely to face greater challenges due to
the constrained budget targets.
“Congress needs to know how ATC modernization efforts
will proceed under funding reductions and whether
this could adversely affect air traffic safety,” said
Davis.
