The House has passed a bill that would extend the funding and authority of the Federal Aviation Administration through March 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The short-term extension passed 376-15 with broad bipartisan support. The Senate must now pass a companion bill to ensure that FAA funding doesn’t expire at year’s end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Congress had been scheduled to complete a five-year FAA reauthorization bill by Sept. 30, but instead passed an eleventh-hour short-term funding extension that runs through the end of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The holdup has been from the Senate. The House, in bipartisan fashion, passed its version of a five-year FAA reauthorization in July. However, a companion Senate bill was held up for months in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation due to a dispute over pilot training.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Politico has reported that committee members have reached a deal over pilot training, but that other\u00a0disputes are now delaying the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a statement issued Monday, leaders of the House Transportation Committee from both parties called on the Senate to end the delay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Because of the Senate’s inaction, today’s extension is necessary to ensure the continued safe operation of our aviation system,” the statement reads. “But make no mistake — the Senate must promptly act on a long-term bill, as a series of short-term extensions hamstrings FAA operations, maintains outdated policies, and fails to provide critical policy updates for aviation safety, efficiency, innovation and more.”<\/p>\n