The House on Friday passed a bill to ease air-travel delays caused by the furlough of air-traffic controllers, resolving an issue that had re-ignited debate over federal spending cuts that took effect earlier this year.
Congress passes a bill to ease travel delays caused by the sequester cuts to the FAA that have impacted travel at the nations busiest airports. Aaron Zitner discusses on Lunch Break. Photo: AP Images.
A bill addressing the travel delays passed the Senate late Thursday, with a provision that now allows the identical House-approved measure to go to the president. The White House, which was involved in shaping the agreement, said Friday that President Barack Obama would sign it.
The bill passed the House on a 361-41 vote.
The Senate legislation, crafted by lawmakers in both parties, would give the Transportation Department, which administers the Federal Aviation Administration, more budget flexibility to reduce the number of air-traffic controller furloughs, which had caused this week's flight delays. Under the bill, the FAA would be able to redirect as much as $253 million from other areas of its budget to shore up staffing and operations.
The furloughs had been prompted by federal spending cuts across the federal government, known as a sequester, that began to take effect in March. They were required under a 2011 deal to raise the federal borrowing limit.
At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney on Friday called the bill "good news for America's traveling public'' and said Mr. Obama would sign it.
Reuters Reagan National Airport air traffic controller Sundie Yukich directs aircraft from the control tower in Washington on Feb. 28.
"The president believes it's good news to eliminate this problem. But as I've said and he believes, this is a Band-Aid covering a massive wound to the economy," he said.
Senate Democratic leaders had initially urged members of their party to coalesce around a plan to repeal all of the cuts to federal agencies, which total $85 billion through the end of this fiscal year, and replace them with money saved from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a source of funds some consider a budget gimmick.
But amid public outcry over the flight delays, some Senate Democrats partnered with GOP colleagues this week to push forward an interim fix targeted to problems at the FAA.
Republicans welcomed the bipartisan agreement as proof that the sequester's impacts were forcing Democrats to change tack.
"By last night, Senate Democrats were adopting our targeted 'cut this, not that' approach," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said in a letter this morning. "This victory is in large part a result of our standing together."
The FAA bill drew the ire of some Democrats, who worried that the sequester's other painful effects were being overlooked. The measure passed Friday does nothing to address the cuts to the Head Start early education program or to nutrition programs for senior citizens and families, among others, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said in an angry speech on the House floor Friday.
"We ought not to be mitigating the sequester's effect on just one segment, when children, the sick, our military and many other groups who will be impacted by this irresponsible policy are left unhelped," he said.
—Peter Nicholas contributed to this article. Write to Kristina Peterson at kristina.peterson@dowjones.com
