Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization flew by the Senate on Dec. 19 as the upper congressional chamber approved a short-term extension for the agency in charge of American airspace.
The clean extension expires on March 8.
The Senate passed it through unanimous consent, a way to pass legislation and approve nominees without doing a roll-call vote as long as no senator objects. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) lifted his hold that he placed amid negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on additional support for Ukraine, border security, and other issues.
“I don’t think we would have come back, probably, from our departure last week if we didn’t have the unfinished business of the FAA to do,” said Mr. Bennet on the Senate floor. ”And while the FAA is unrelated to the Ukraine funding … It was something that could force us to come back here to continue to have the debate.”
“[Mr. Bennet] has voiced increased optimism in getting a supplemental done, and I agree with the senator from Colorado,” remarked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on the Senate floor. “This won’t be easy, but we’ll keep working because this is so important to our country and to the world.”
The House passed the short-term extension on Dec. 11. With Senate passage, it goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
Nonetheless, Congress will seek to pass a long-term extension. The five-year reauthorization expired on Oct. 1. The House passed in July its five-year reauthorization bill that includes reforms.
In a Sept. 30 statement, Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Rick Larsen (R-Wash.), the chairman and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, respectively, noted that a short-term reauthorization “will be detrimental to the FAA, airport infrastructure improvements, and the aviation industry.”
With a lapse in FAA reauthorization, the agency has furloughed non-essential employees and has been unable to collect taxes such as those tied to international travel and gas. No new employees have been onboarded and there have been no certifications of airmen. Inspections, authorizations, audits, and other certifications—such as those related to new and renovated planes—have been put on hold. Waivers for the use of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAVs) have not been approved.
“There is no doubt that the operation of today’s national airspace in the U.S., as compared to the system of even the relatively recent past, is more varied and challenging,” according to the FAA in a 2019 statement. “The increasing use of unmanned aircraft systems and the increasing number of commercial space launches, for example, pose new complexities for the safe and efficient use of airspace.”
