Ex-insider: FAA shutdown a safety issue

Fmr. FAA Chief of Staff Michael Goldfarb says a partial shutdown of the federal agency threatens safety and the economy.

Background: The House adjourned for summer recess Monday night without resolving a Federal Aviation Administration funding impasse, almost guaranteeing that nearly 4,000 FAA employees will remain furloughed for the next month, and that the federal government will lose at least $1.2 billion in airline passenger tax revenue.

The only possible resolution, one official said, is if the Senate approves the House bill. But that was deemed highly unlikely. "FAA funding is looking very grim right now," a Senate Democratic staffer not authorized to speak for attribution said.

The FAA budget dispute, pitting Rep. John Mica, R-Florida, against Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, raged on all week in aviation circles, its roar subsumed only by the greater commotion over the debt limit. But with the debt debate nearly resolved, the full impact of the FAA feud is likely to come into sharper focus.