Senators have tried multiple times this week to pass an extension by unanimous consent. On Monday, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) blocked an attempt to pass an amended version of the short-term House bill that was supported by Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas). The next day, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) tried to pass a clean extension of the FAA authorization, but she ran into an objection from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). He then offered his own unanimous consent agreement to pass the unchanged short-term House bill, only to be blocked by Boxer.
Reid had indicated Tuesday that he would be open to accepting the rural air service cuts and passing the short-term bill to tide over the FAA until Congress reconvenes. But by Wednesday afternoon he was insisting that Speaker John Boehner approve a clean short-term extension as soon as possible.
"We must resolve our differences through the normal legislative process. In the meantime, we need a clean, short-term extension to get these people back to work," Reid wrote in a letter to the Ohio Republican.
House Republicans, including Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), were quick to point out that Rockefeller and Reid have a home-state interest in the authorization standoff, and particularly in the rural air service issue. The Essential Air Service program provides subsidized air travel to rural communities, including in West Virginia and Nevada.
“Powerful Senate Democrats have chosen to protect an airline ticket subsidy program on the backs of thousands of FAA employees and airport construction workers. Now they plan to engage in a personal and political media bludgeoning of folks who disagree with them,” Mica said in a statement Wednesday.
Boehner dug in further.
“The only reason so many jobs are at stake is Senate Democratic leaders chose to play politics rather than pass the House bill,” Boehner said Wednesday. “I respect the fact that Senators have certain objections, but they have had two weeks to respond to the House bill and done nothing, leaving tens of thousands of workers in limbo.”
The Senate and its leaders have been consumed over the past two weeks by negotiations to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the deficit before Tuesday, when the nation was projected to default on its loans. The House passed the final deal Monday evening, then promptly left for recess, with the Senate following suit the next day.
White House press secretary Jay Carney repeatedly expressed the administration’s frustration with Congress — not a particular party — and the impasse that is keeping 74,000 people out of work nationwide. But his cool demeanor stood in stark contrast to LaHood’s angry demand that lawmakers get their acts together and pass something.
“Congress should have passed a clean bill, could have passed a clean bill; I urged them to pass a clean bill,” LaHood said. “They can still do it. Congress can still do it.”
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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