Airport Alert: House Passes FY22 Spending Package After Removing COVID Funding Provisions
March 9, 2022
Proving that nothing is ever easy in Washington, efforts to approve the $1.5 trillion FY22 omnibus appropriations package were delayed throughout the day today over objections related to COVID funding in the measure and proposed spending reductions to accommodate that funding. House leaders were ultimately forced to remove the COVID funding from the omnibus spending package in order to pass it -- which they did just a few minutes ago. The House also this evening approved a continuing resolution (CR) extending federal funding to March 15.
As we noted in this morning's Airport Alert, the massive spending package initially included $15.6 billion in COVID-related funding for tests, vaccines and therapeutics, a top priority of the Biden Administration. However, as a condition for gaining support from Republicans, who for weeks have demanded that any new COVID funding be offset by rescinding unspent COVID-relief provided previously, negotiators had agreed to claw back unclaimed state-and-local COVID aid to effectively pay for the new round of COVID spending. This led Democratic members from states affected by the compromise to revolt against House Democratic leaders, who eventually relented and stripped the COVID funding and offsets from the package to be voted on by the House without the offsets at a later date.
The omnibus spending package and the short-term CR to March 15 now head to the Senate as we draw ever closer to the March 11 deadline when federal funding is currently set to expire. While the Senate is expected to pass the CR to avert a government shutdown, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will be unable to expedite action on the omnibus spending package without unanimous consent from all Senate Republicans. This, combined with the House's delayed passage of the spending package, likely mean the Senate will have to work overtime to pass the bill and get it to the President's desk before the new March 15 funding deadline, assuming the CR passes.
As a reminder, the omnibus spending package includes a number of airport priorities, including nearly $4 billion in funding for 'regular' AIP funding ($3.35 billion) and supplemental AIP discretionary spending ($554 million); increased funding for the Contract Tower Program; and funding for the TSA LEO reimbursement program and TSA exit lane staffing.
We will continue to keep you updated as lawmakers work to complete action on the FY22 omnibus spending bill.
Proving that nothing is ever easy in Washington, efforts to approve the $1.5 trillion FY22 omnibus appropriations package were delayed throughout the day today over objections related to COVID funding in the measure and proposed spending reductions to accommodate that funding. House leaders were ultimately forced to remove the COVID funding from the omnibus spending package in order to pass it -- which they did just a few minutes ago. The House also this evening approved a continuing resolution (CR) extending federal funding to March 15.
As we noted in this morning's Airport Alert, the massive spending package initially included $15.6 billion in COVID-related funding for tests, vaccines and therapeutics, a top priority of the Biden Administration. However, as a condition for gaining support from Republicans, who for weeks have demanded that any new COVID funding be offset by rescinding unspent COVID-relief provided previously, negotiators had agreed to claw back unclaimed state-and-local COVID aid to effectively pay for the new round of COVID spending. This led Democratic members from states affected by the compromise to revolt against House Democratic leaders, who eventually relented and stripped the COVID funding and offsets from the package to be voted on by the House without the offsets at a later date.
The omnibus spending package and the short-term CR to March 15 now head to the Senate as we draw ever closer to the March 11 deadline when federal funding is currently set to expire. While the Senate is expected to pass the CR to avert a government shutdown, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will be unable to expedite action on the omnibus spending package without unanimous consent from all Senate Republicans. This, combined with the House's delayed passage of the spending package, likely mean the Senate will have to work overtime to pass the bill and get it to the President's desk before the new March 15 funding deadline, assuming the CR passes.
As a reminder, the omnibus spending package includes a number of airport priorities, including nearly $4 billion in funding for 'regular' AIP funding ($3.35 billion) and supplemental AIP discretionary spending ($554 million); increased funding for the Contract Tower Program; and funding for the TSA LEO reimbursement program and TSA exit lane staffing.
We will continue to keep you updated as lawmakers work to complete action on the FY22 omnibus spending bill.
