# FAA Withholds Full ATC Pay Raise

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford is withholding a portion of the congressionally approved 3.8% pay raise for federal air traffic controllers (ATCs), releasing only 1% so far. This decision is based on FAA's directive to seek operational efficiencies before fully implementing the raise. Congressional representatives, including Mike Quigley and Bonnie Watson Coleman, have raised concerns that this withholding may exacerbate staffing shortages and negatively impact recruitment and retention, particularly in high-demand locations such as New York. The FAA emphasizes ongoing efforts to improve staffing efficiency but has not yet met the conditions to release the full pay increase.

- **Why this matters:** Procurement and workforce planning professionals should anticipate potential impacts on ATC staffing levels and operational capacity, which could affect contract performance and service delivery timelines.
- The partial pay raise may influence labor market dynamics, requiring contractors and agencies to adjust recruitment strategies or consider incentives to mitigate workforce stress and shortages.
- Organizations involved in ATC-related services should evaluate how staffing constraints might affect project schedules, operational risk, and contract compliance.
- This situation highlights the importance of aligning compensation policies with operational efficiency goals in federal workforce management and procurement planning.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Transportation
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 22, 2026

### Government Entities
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies

### Key Quotes
> Part of the way we tried to address the staffing issues was with a 3.8% raise, but they’re getting 1%. This can’t supercharge the plan to dramatically increase [staffing], I would see it’s discouraged. For someone who wants to do this or currently does this, it shows a lack of concern about the stress they’re under, financial and otherwise. Why hasn’t it happened yet? Why haven’t we given them this pay raise that we voted for?
> — Mike Quigley, Representative

> I have the utmost respect for ATCs; I value the work they do, and as a pilot myself, I rely on them. I’m grateful we have them up there and we are supercharging the hiring . . . I could quote the statute, but Congress asked me to look for ways to improve staffing efficiency. That’s what you asked me to do, and if we could get it, then we would do the 2.8% [raise] as part of that. But we have not been able to.
> — Bryan Bedford, FAA Administrator

> Is it your contention that you don’t have operational efficiency while you have understaffed, overworked individuals who are responsible for the safety of air traffic? Is that what you’re saying?
> — Bonnie Watson Coleman, Representative

### Sources
- [FAA administrator defends withholding part of ATC pay raise - Government Executive](https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/09/faa-administrator-defends-withholding-part-atc-pay-raise/416147) - GovExec.com