The Senate just cleared a procedural hurdle as it moved closer to reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ahead of Friday’s midnight deadline. Senators voted 84 to 13 to open debate on the five-year reauthorization, putting them closer to clearing the complex package. This comes as the House voted on Wednesday to pass a one-week extension for federal aviation programs, a stopgap move intended to head off a looming end-of-week deadline to next Friday, May 17th. The Senate will next need to pass the extension now that it has passed the House. However, lawmakers have a number of troublesome items they are trying to navigate in order to avoid a lapse, with questions surrounding when the Senate can wrap up its work. Headlining that is the ongoing push by senators from the greater Washington, D.C., area to secure an amendment vote to overturn a provision in the final package that adds five new slots (or 10 round-trip flights) out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Senators have also proposed adding a number of unrelated policy ideas as well. Senator Josh Hawley, (R-Missouri), demanded a vote on his bill that would expand eligibility for federal compensation for the group of people harmed by exposure to the nation’s nuclear weapons program. (The Senate passed the bill in March, but the House has not taken it up.) He also vowed to block quick approval of an extension if his measure did not receive a vote. The Maryland Senators want to add a bipartisan measure to allow the federal government to fully fund the replacement of the Francis Key Scott Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed in late March. Senators Richard Durbin (D- Illinois), the No. 2 Democrat, and Roger Marshall, (R-Kansas), want to attach their legislation related to credit card competition. The FAA bill, which would reauthorize the agency for the next five years, would provide more than $105 billion to the F.A.A. and another $738 million to the National Transportation Safety Board for airport modernization, technology programs and safety. It also would bolster the hiring and training of air traffic controllers, codify airlines’ refund obligations to passengers and strengthen protections for passengers with disabilities. Negotiators and top lawmakers have been trying to get the final bill across the finish line without allowing members additional amendment votes and discussions continue on a path forward. The House will need to pass the Senate passed bill next week in order for it to reach President Joe Biden’s desk prior to May 17th.
The House is now in recess and will reconvene on Tuesday, May 14th.
