Single Senator Preventing Unanimous Consent To Bring The CR To The Floor

Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn is pretty adamant about not funding some federal highway related items in a continuing resolution (CR) that would yet-again extend FAA funding at 2007 levels through January 30th, 2012 ... to the extent the bickering over procedure could cause another partial shutdown of the agency.

(L-R) Senators Reid And Coburn

Coburn has offered an amendment to the bill, which also includes an extension of federal highway funds, to eliminate a money for things like bike paths, walkways, and other projects aimed at drawing tourists to certain areas. The Senate needs "unanimous consent" to consider the bill out of order, and Coburn has resolutely NOT given his consent unless his amendment can be considered.

If the Senate does not act by Friday to extend funding, the FAA will once again be partially shut down, and construction projects will once again grind to a halt. The Associated Press reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Ried (D-NV) likened Coburn to a "dictator" ... without mentioning him by name ... saying it's fairly likely his amendment would be convincingly defeated, but the insistence on the debate prevents him (Reid) from bringing the bill to the floor out of order.

Republicans take a different view, saying the leadership could have scheduled the debate and votes in such a way that all the issues could have been dispensed with prior to the Friday deadline, but that Reid deliberately put a disaster aid bill on the calendar ahead of the FAA bill, almost guaranteeing that Coburn's amendment and others could not be considered.

Coburn says he wants money currently set aside for "enhancement" projects to go to more pressing infrastructure needs like bridge repair. It has nothing at all to do with aviation or the FAA.

The bill, when eventually disposed of by the Senate, will be the 21st stop-gap extension of FAA funding since the last long-term appropriation expired in 2007. The House passed the bill by voice vote Tuesday.

FMI: http://coburn.senate.gov, www.senate.gov, www.faa.gov