Chairman Shuster Getting Some Blame For Delays In Other Priorities

It appears that the U.S. House of Representatives will not be debating the AIRR Act, which would provide long-term funding for the FAA, next week has had been reported.

Politico reports that the House Leadership will likely not include the AIRR Act on the house schedule for next week. That despite a notice that went out to members of the House Rules Committee saying that it was "likely" that it would meet next week to establish the guidelines for the debate. A similar notice had gone out in July, but no meeting was scheduled.

Some in the House are blaming Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) for putting the FAA bill ahead of some other legislative priorities, slowing them down. They cite the aid package for hurricane relief last month as an example of such legislative maneuvering. Shuster is still facing an uphill battle in the House for support for the AIRR Act, which would separate ATC from the FAA and place it under a private, non-profit corporation. He and the bill’s supporters are still working the halls of the Capitol trying to find enough votes to pass the bill in the House.

But even if that happens, the bill faces an even bigger challenge in the U.S. Senate, where most Democrats oppose the spin-off, and even some Republicans are lukewarm to the idea at best. Shuster had to drop the idea last year when he was not able to whip up enough votes for the proposal as time expired on the bill, and a continuing resolution was required to keep the FAA open for another year. The current continuing resolution will keep the agency operating at previous funding levels through March 31.

(Image from file)

Original Story, transportation.house.gov/airr-act