August 4, 2011 - When Congress stopped legislative activity for its summer recess earlier than originally planned, it failed to reauthorize funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. This has caused nonessential aspects of the agency to shut down, halting airport construction projects across the country and preventing the collection of taxes on the sale of airline tickets.
The impasse boils down to a disagreement between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democrat-controlled Senate over continuing subsidies for passenger service to certain rural airports (supported by Democrats) and making it harder for airline employees to unionize (supported by Republicans and Delta Airlines).
Total Contributions from Entities Involved in the FAA Shutdown by Party
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Transport Unions | $14,301,234 | $4,057,020 |
| Building Trade Unions | $50,121,699 | $7,408,575 |
| Federal Employee Unions | $7,489,705 | $1,821,400 |
| FAA Employees | $173,907 | $69,002 |
| Air Transport sector | $18,436,535 | $25,462,366 |
| Air Transport sector (PACs only) | $14,328,611 | $20,718,737 |
| Airline industry | $4,332,938 | $4,866,801 |
| Airline industry (PACs only) | $2,751,251 | $3,450,306 |
| Delta Airlines | $439,620 | $569,859 |
| Delta Airlines (PAC only) | $261,300 | $368,775 |
| Air Transport Association | $140,012 | $150,354 |
| Air Transport Association (PAC only) | $107,062 | $120,104 |
Delta Airlines (PAC only) Top 10 Recipients
| Legislator | In Office? | Contributions |
| Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) | Y | $20,000 |
| Sen. John Isakson (R-Ga.) | Y | $18,230 |
| Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) | Y | $18,000 |
| Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) | Y | $15,300 |
| Rep. James McCrery (R-La.) | N | $13,000 |
| Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) | Y | $13,000 |
| Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) | Y | $12,000 |
| Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) | N | $11,000 |
| Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) | Y | $11,000 |
| Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) | Y | $10,500 |
Air Transport Association (PAC only) Top 10 Recipients
| Legislator | In Office? | Contributions |
| Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) | Y | $9,564 |
| Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) | N | $9,519 |
| Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) | N | $9,000 |
| Rep. Donald Young (R-Alaska) | Y | $8,000 |
| Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) | N | $7,998 |
| Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) | Y | $7,997 |
| Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) | Y | $7,500 |
| Rep. Joseph Knollenberg (R-Mich.) | N | $7,497 |
| Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) | Y | $6,500 |
| Sen. Robert Menéndez (D-N.J.) | Y | $6,499 |
FAA Employees Top 10 Recipients
| Legislator | In Office? | Contributions |
| Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) | N | $63,676 |
| Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) | Y | $43,250 |
| Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) | Y | $18,900 |
| Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) | N | $16,056 |
| Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) | Y | $9,200 |
| Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) | Y | $5,575 |
| Rep. Ronald Paul (R-Texas) | Y | $4,152 |
| Rep. Addison Wilson (R-S.C.) | Y | $4,000 |
| Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) | Y | $4,000 |
| Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) | Y | $3,250 |
| Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) | Y | $3,250 |
Air Transport Unions Top 10 Recipients
| Legislator | In Office? | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) | N | $205,900 |
| Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) | Y | $156,100 |
| Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) | Y | $141,750 |
| Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) | Y | $134,500 |
| Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) | Y | $134,300 |
| Rep. Edward Pastor (D-Ariz.) | Y | $131,250 |
| Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) | Y | $120,250 |
| Rep. Donald Young (R-Alaska) | Y | $118,000 |
| Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) | Y | $117,500 |
| Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa.) | Y | $116,750 |
Methodology: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to legislators serving in the 109th, 110th, 111th and 112th Congresses from Air Transport Unions, Building Trade Unions, Federal Employee Unions, FAA Employees, Air Transport sector, Airline industry, Delta Airlines, and the Air Transport Association, Jan 1, 2001-Dec. 31, 2010. Contributions data provided by OpenSecrets.org.
