Airport Alert: Congress Extends Federal Funding Through February 18, Averting a Government Shutdown
December 2, 2021
This evening, both the House and Senate passed another stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) that extends funding for the federal government through February 18 and provides additional funding for Afghan refugee resettlement.
After weeks of uncertainty, House and Senate appropriators earlier today announced an agreement to extend government funding that was set to expire Friday at midnight under the terms of a separate CR passed earlier this fall. The new February 18 deadline is weeks later than Democrats had initially wanted; still, the hope is that it will give congressional leaders more time to negotiate a spending deal on the 12 annual funding bills for fiscal year 2022, which began on October 1. This is now the second time this fiscal year that Congress has been forced to punt on government funding.
Due to Senate rules, the Senate needed to have all 100 senators provide consent in order to accelerate passage of the funding bill before a shutdown would occur. However, a handful of Senate Republicans threatened to object to any effort to fast-track the CR unless they received a vote on an amendment that would defund the Biden Administration's vaccine mandates at a 51-vote, instead of a 60-vote, threshold. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) ended up capitulating to their demands, but the vaccine mandate amendment was eventually shot down 48 to 50.
While Congress has 11 more weeks to formulate a spending agreement, it remains unclear whether negotiators will be able to find a path forward or resort to additional CRs. Republicans have so far refused to budge on their demands for increased defense spending as part of any final deal, as well as keeping legacy riders and eliminating poison pills. A CR also maintains current spending levels that were approved last year when Republicans controlled Congress, meaning that a CR is likely preferable in the eyes of many Republicans compared with a new spending package that will almost certainly reflect Democratic priorities such as significant increases to domestic spending. On the other hand, both Senate Appropriations Chair, Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Vice Chair, Richard Shelby (R-AL) have announced that they are retiring at the end of this Congress, and they will both have incentives to come to an agreement. Additionally, both have a number of "earmarks" in play as part of pending FY 22 spending bills.
AAAE and airports have worked diligently through this year to gain strong support for airport priorities, including regular AIP and supplemental discretionary spending, Contract Tower funding, and funding for the TSA law enforcement reimbursement program and exit lane staffing in pending DOT/FAA and DHS/TSA/CBP spending bills. We will continue working to ensure that these airport priorities are appropriately funded as part of any final agreement.
