The Senate on Wednesday took the first step toward passing a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Senators voted 89 to 10 to overcome the first procedural hurdle and move toward consideration of the package ahead of the May 10th funding deadline. However, Republicans have called for upwards of 20 amendment votes, both related and unrelated to the bill at hand. Headlining the unrelated category is an amendment from Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), who said he will not agree to speed up passage without an amendment vote to extend federal benefits for victims of nuclear radiation. A stand-alone bill to do so passed the Senate in early March but has not been taken up by the House.
For today, the Senate will continue work on the FAA reauthorization and take up the motion to proceed to H.R.3935, An act to amend title 49, United States Code, to reauthorize and improve the Federal Aviation Administration and other civil aviation programs, with a vote around 1:45 P.M.
The House has adjourned for the week until Monday, May 6th. Yesterday, the chamber voted to pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, a vote that comes amid heightened concerns over antisemitism with Israel at war with Hamas and as pro-Palestinian protests have sprung up on college campuses across the country. Supporters of the legislation say it will help combat antisemitism on college campuses, but opponents say it overreaches and threatens to chill free speech. The bill would mandate that when the Department of Education enforces federal anti-discrimination laws it uses a definition of antisemitism put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Critics of the bill argue that definition is overly expansive and could lead to censorship issues. The House vote was 320 to 91 with 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voting against the bill. The GOP opposition largely came from the right flank of the conference. The bill would next need to be taken up by the Senate.
