Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Nearly a week after the November 5 U.S. elections, Washington is still awaiting the final outcome of the results and their effects on Capitol Hill. Regardless for aviation, that outcome will bring change and new leadership on key committees on both sides of the aisle.
With the shift in power from Democrat to Republican hands in the Senate, leadership on all the committees and subcommittees are swapping seats. In Senate Commerce, Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) is the senior member in line for the committee chairmanship. For Thune, that would mark a return to leadership of the committee that he chaired for four years before moving into the role of Senate Majority Whip in 2019 and then Minority Whip when the Democrats regained control in 2021.
Even so, Thune kept his hand in aviation, working behind the scenes on key issues on the FAA reauthorization bill. However, whether he reclaims his seat is still unclear since he also is in the mix of candidates for Senate Majority Leader. He also could look at other “plum” committee assignments.
Next in line would be Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who won reelection last week. Cruz currently serves as ranking Republican of the Commerce Committee, working with current Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) to confirm FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker and push through the massive FAA reauthorization bill. Cruz has not revealed whether he would be interested in continuing in a leadership role in the upcoming Congress, but a major surface transportation bill is upcoming.
Control of the House was still unclear coming out of the weekend, but changes are afoot there regardless of the outcome. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) is bumping into a term limit for his chairmanship of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, should Republicans—as it is looking increasingly likely—retain control. He has filed for an exemption from that term limit but also appears to have thrown his hat into the ring, potentially, for Transportation Secretary. &nbsp;
Graves released a statement, published by various media outlets, that: “It would be an honor if the President called upon me to serve in the Administration, and it’s something I would duly consider.” Also, House aviation subcommittee chair Garret Graves (R-Louisiana), who took a key part in writing the FAA reauthorization bill, has opted to retire. So the committee may see new leadership in both places.
On the issues front, Congress will have a busy agenda, starting with a tax extenders bill with the tax breaks passed under the Trump administration set to expire in the upcoming year. For aviation, this could open the door to a possible extension of bonus depreciation.&nbsp;
“That would be something that would help stimulate aircraft sales,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen noted.&nbsp;
However, he also pointed out that the aviation community is “working through” issues of potential tariffs. “With the different supply chain issues, we don’t know whether higher tariffs are going to hurt in that regard.” Unclear is whether Congress would, or even would need to, play a role in these.
However, also with tax extenders, General Aviation Manufacturers Association v-p of government affairs Paul Feldman said the association will be pushing for an extension of the research and development tax credit.&nbsp;Proposals under the Biden administration, including fuel tax increases and a seven-year depreciation schedule to match that of the airlines, are not expected at this time. &nbsp;
In addition, aviation, joined by the agricultural community, may be looking for more incentives to support sustainable aviation fuel.&nbsp; Certain Republican lawmakers have shown resistance to such sustainable efforts.
However, the issue is gaining traction on Capitol Hill, with bipartisan Sustainable Aviation Caucuses formed in each chamber. “We’ve made a lot of really good progress,” Bolen said. “What we are seeing is that some of the ag states are looking at an opportunity for them to have crops that will be able to play in the model and that would be very worthwhile. So you see a lot of excitement in it and a lot of legislation that is being promoted, with the idea that the ethanol that had been being produced for automobiles moving over and being produced for aviation.”
Another issue to watch long term is the possible resurgence of an issue to push for privatization, an issue strongly backed by conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation. While nothing has been said about that thus far, it is something that aviation organizations are always monitoring.
Also, with the myriad new faces expected to appear as a result of the elections, aviation advocates face a busy season on the educational front.
“As the makeup of the 119th Congress continues to take shape, we are monitoring how key leadership and committee positions play out,” Feldman said. “We are also working to learn more about new members that represent our membership and those with aviation backgrounds so that we can foster relationships and engage them on issues of importance.”

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