The House and Senate approved a stop-gap measure to keep the government running through Dec. 20, pushing debate on FY2025 funding into the lame-duck session.
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The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate yesterday passed a short-term funding bill that will keep the federal government operating—including key agencies such as the FAA—through December 20 while work continues on a longer-term budget. The continuing resolution, H.R.9747, first was approved by the House by a 341-to-82 vote Wednesday afternoon and then the Senate followed within an hour—at near-record pace—by a 78-to-18 vote.
Passage occurred before both chambers adjourned until November 12, after the elections, averting a government-wide shutdown that would have otherwise set in at the end of the fiscal year on October 1. Pushing the vote until December 20 sets up a debate on funding priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2025 during a lame-duck session when one or both chambers may face the prospect of flipping.
Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning praised the approval of the stop-gap funding bill, noting that it is keeping critical functions open. However, he also called the bill “just a temporary solution to a recurring issue. Our industry relies on clear and strong demand signals from the government, and continuing resolutions only muddy them. We encourage Congress to get back to passing regular, full-year appropriations that will empower the aerospace and defense industry, driving innovation, empowering economic growth, and securing the country.”
At stake for the FAA in FY 2025 is up to a $22 billion budget with funding to hire 2,000 controllers and expedite aging air traffic control systems replacement. The House bill would increase the agency’s budget by $1.576 billion to $21.657 billion, while the Senate bill would provide a $1.931 billion boost, closer to $22 billion.
Those bills were cleared by the respective House and Senate Appropriations Committees in July but had not yet moved to the floor in either chamber.
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate yesterday passed a short-term funding bill that will keep the federal government operating—including key agencies such as the FAA—through December 20 while work continues on a longer-term budget. The continuing resolution, H.R.9747, first was approved by the House by a 341-to-82 vote Wednesday afternoon and then the Senate followed within an hour—at near-record pace—by a 78-to-18 vote.
Passage occurred before both chambers adjourned until November 12, after the elections, averting a government-wide shutdown that would have otherwise set in at the end of the fiscal year on October 1. Pushing the vote until December 20 sets up a debate on funding priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2025 during a lame-duck session when one or both chambers may face the prospect of flipping.
Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning praised the approval of the stop-gap funding bill, noting that it is keeping critical functions open. However, he also called the bill “just a temporary solution to a recurring issue.”
At stake for the FAA in FY 2025 is up to a $22 billion budget with funding to hire 2,000 controllers and expedite aging air traffic control systems replacement. The House bill would increase the agency’s budget by $1.576 billion to $21.657 billion, while the Senate bill would provide a $1.931 billion boost, closer to $22 billion.