The Senate passed a temporary extension to the Federal Aviation Administration’s authority until March 8, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate a long-term deal after the must-pass legislation was held up last week.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) placed a hold on the short-term reauthorization bill on Thursday to force senators to finish negotiations before the end of the year on border security measures that could unlock GOP support for aid to Ukraine and Israel, although that effort was unsuccessful.
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Bennet lifted the hold Tuesday night after it became apparent the border talks would not produce a deal before 2024 but first received a commitment from Senate leadership that the aid would be considered in January.
The extension, passed without any objection, will allow the Senate to work through its concerns with the bill while giving both chambers enough time to hash out differences on the legislation. The stopgap bill was approved ahead of a looming deadline, when the FAA authority expires on Dec. 31.
Months ago, lawmakers decoupled the FAA portion from government funding to keep aviation safety separate in case negotiations went south over a spending deal. Lawmakers averted a government shutdown in mid-November with a stopgap measure that extended the funding for the agency until Jan. 19.
Between 2007 and 2012, there were 23 short-term extensions of the FAA’s authorization, including a two-week lapse in 2011. In 2013, the FAA shut down for 16 days due to budget sequestration, which resulted in furloughs of FAA staff members, including technicians and air traffic controllers. The agency was also caught in a partial government shutdown for 35 days in late 2018 and early 2019, in which air traffic controllers worked without a paycheck for 35 days but received back pay.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, emphasized his frustration with passing a short-term extension in the first place during a floor speech last week.
“We now find ourselves having to pass a second short-term FAA authorization in less than six months without having gotten the bill through committee. This situation was entirely avoidable,” he said.
The full FAA reauthorization bill continues to be held up in committee over disputes on whether to change pilot training requirements and whether to allow flight simulator training to count toward the required 1,500 hours of in-flight experience to become a certified pilot.
In addition to the pilot retirement age policy, lawmakers must resolve a dispute about expanding the perimeter rule for the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. A group of lawmakers is attempting to increase the number of long-distance flights at the airport, which has limits on the number of flights that travel more than 1,250 miles away.
The House passed its version of the bill 351-69 on July 20. It would keep standards for pilot training the same but would raise the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, which is intended to expand the pilot workforce. The measure faces opponents in both parties and the Biden administration who argue the change could affect safety and cause headaches because pilots older than 65 are unable to fly internationally.
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After the Senate can pass the full version of its bill out of committee and through the chamber, senators must reconcile their version with the House.
Even with a short-term extension, industry leaders are concerned the dysfunction could create a safety risk as more than 130 million people are expected to travel for the holidays this year, according to a recent NerdWallet survey. The surge in travel comes as an independent U.S. aviation review team called for “urgent action” to prevent plane crashes last month.
