Story ID: 
Congress OKs Stopgap Funding Measure
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Congress now has until March 1 to pass FAA budget
Word Count: 224
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate narrowly averted the looming federal government shutdown with the passage of a stopgap measure that extends funding into March. Approved by the Senate 77-18 and by the House 314-108 yesterday, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act of 2024 (H.R.2872) essentially extends funding temporarily at fiscal 2023 levels until full fiscal 2024 bills can be passed.
Congress had faced a deadline at the end of today to extend funding temporarily or pass full-year bills for most government agencies. The latest continuing resolution sets two deadlines for the completion of the fiscal 2024 government funding bills.
A March 1 deadline was established for four of the appropriations bills, including transportation, housing, and urban development, which covers funding for the FAA. The March 8 deadline covers the remaining bills, including funding for the Department of Homeland Security covering both the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection.
Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning stressed the need to complete full-year funding, especially for the Department of Defense, the FAA, and NASA, but added, “Doing so adequately and correctly is just as important…While it’s not the outcome we hoped for nearly four months into the year, we expect this short reprieve will enable Congress to find an acceptable path forward.”