The Senate passed a six-month extension of federal aviation funding on Tuesday, a day before it was set to expire.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) passed the extension for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by unanimous consent.
Like the rest of the federal government, if Congress hadn’t passed the extension the agency would have run out of money at the end of the day Wednesday. With the House already passing the extension on Monday, the bill is now headed to President Obama’s desk.
Lawmakers had originally intended to roll the six-month extension into a short-term continuing resolution (CR), currently being debated by lawmakers, which will fund the government through Dec. 11. The six-month extension was included in an earlier version of the CR, before being removed as lawmakers squabbled over federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Under the extension, funding for FAA now runs out on March 31, 2016. Lawmakers are expected to use the extra time to reach an agreement on a long-term funding measure.
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, added that lawmakers should back the short-term extension because it will give them time to “do something that’s bold, do something that’s transformational, and do something that’ll be very, very positive for aviation.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/255339-senate-passes-faa-extension