The Senate approved a significant aviation bill on Thursday after a contentious debate over whether to increase the number of flights at the nation’s busiest runway finally came to an end.
Last month, lawmakers reached a compromise on a bill to renew the Federal Aviation Administration for another five years. However, a provision to add 10 slots at Reagan National Airport sparked backlash from senators representing Maryland and Virginia, who raised concerns about potential delays and safety risks.
These senators delayed the bill’s passage for several days, insisting on a vote to remove the slots. Ultimately, they relented as the deadline approached for the current law to expire.
The bill passed with a vote of 88-4, with Senators Ben Cardin, Tim Kaine, Chris Van Hollen, and Mark Warner opposing the measure.
While the House recessed for the week on Wednesday, meaning the bill could only reach President Joe Biden’s desk by Tuesday at the earliest, they did pass a temporary extension to avoid a lapse in the law.
This extension, however, faces objections from senators and must be considered separately, with no approval from the upper chamber yet.
The fight over DCA slots was not the only obstacle for the FAA bill. Negotiators made last-minute changes to address a dispute over the Biden administration’s airline refund policy.
Additionally, senators viewed the reauthorization as an opportunity to attach unrelated provisions, leading to the filing of over a hundred amendments, none of which received a vote.
The Senate operates under unanimous consent, allowing any senator to prolong the process. Despite threats from members of the Maryland and Virginia delegations to use procedural tactics to secure a vote on the flights, they eventually agreed to release their holds after a compromise amendment was proposed. However, opposition from Senator Ted Cruz effectively halted the vote, resulting in the continuation of the status quo.
