S. 1759 would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct various regulatory activities related to supersonic flight. In particular, the bill would require the FAA, in consultation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to establish and regularly update noise standards for civil aircraft that operate at supersonic speeds.
Using information from the FAA, CBO expects that implementing S. 1759 would require four full-time-equivalent employees each year at an annual cost of about $200,000 per employee. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $4 million over the 2026–2031 period. Of that amount, about $1 million would support rulemaking activities and $3 million would cover the associated cost to implement, enforce, and update the rules.
The estimated budgetary effects of the legislation are shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall within budget function 400 (transportation).
Table 1.
Estimated Budgetary Effects of S. 1759
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2026-2031
Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation
Estimated Authorization
0
*
1
1
1
1
4
Estimated Outlays
0
*
1
1
1
1
4
* = between zero and $500,000.
On February 3, 2026, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 3410, the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on December 18, 2025. The two pieces of legislation are similar, and any differences in CBO’s estimates of their costs reflect any differences in the legislative language and assumed dates of enactment.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Tanya Bakshi. The estimate was reviewed by Chad Chirico, Director of Budget Analysis.
