Airport Alert: Continuing Resolution to Fund the Federal Government Until March 14 Introduced
December 18, 2024
The House late on December 17 released a 1,547-page continuing resolution (CR) that will continue federal government funding until March 14, 2025, and provide $100 billion in supplemental disaster relief funding. The current CR expires on Friday, December 20.
The bill also contained:
- an extension of federal counter-UAS authorities until March 14;
- a provision related to pay at the Federal Aviation Administration “to maintain and improve air traffic services, to hire and train air traffic controllers, and to continue aviation safety oversight, while avoiding service reductions”; and
- many other legislative items that comprise the vast majority of this 1,547-page document.
House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have issued press releases in support of the bill. However, many House Republicans were extremely upset at the number of legislative bills attached to this CR, calling it a “Christmas tree”. CNN is reporting that the CR deal could cost House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) his leadership position in the next Congress.
We expect the House to consider this bill as early as Thursday, December 19, under a suspension vote which requires a two-thirds majority for passage. Press reports indicate that many Republicans could vote against the bill, but we expect it to pass with Democratic votes. Once that occurs, the Senate will have just one day to clear the measure before Friday’s midnight deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
The incoming Congress will be responsible for finalizing all the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) spending bills, hopefully before March 14. While it is difficult to predict what a final FY25 spending package will look like when it is negotiated early in 2025, it is expected that the House and Senate FY25 appropriations measures pending at the end of 2024 will form the foundation of ongoing negotiations and a final agreement. It will be a top AAAE priority to ensure that the final funding package for FY25 includes the airport wins we’ve been successful in gaining as part of the pending House and Senate DOT/FAA and DHS/TSA/CBP funding bills, as outlined in letters from AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli to House and Senate Appropriations leaders this fall.
