msn
David Shepardson
21 Jan 2026
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.
