Thu, Sep 15, 2011
Single Senator Preventing Unanimous Consent To Bring The CR To
The Floor
Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn is pretty adamant about
not funding some federal highway related items in a continuing
resolution (CR) that would yet-again extend FAA funding at
2007 levels through January 30th, 2012 ... to the extent the
bickering over procedure could cause another partial shutdown of
the agency.
(L-R) Senators Reid And Coburn
Coburn has offered an amendment to the bill, which also
includes an extension of federal highway funds, to eliminate a
money for things like bike paths, walkways, and other projects
aimed at drawing tourists to certain areas. The Senate needs
"unanimous consent" to consider the bill out of order, and Coburn
has resolutely NOT given his consent unless his amendment can be
considered.
If the Senate does not act by Friday to extend funding, the FAA
will once again be partially shut down, and construction projects
will once again grind to a halt. The Associated Press reports that
Senate Majority Leader Harry Ried (D-NV) likened Coburn to a
"dictator" ... without mentioning him by name ... saying it's
fairly likely his amendment would be convincingly defeated, but the
insistence on the debate prevents him (Reid) from bringing the bill
to the floor out of order.
Republicans take a different view, saying the leadership could
have scheduled the debate and votes in such a way that all the
issues could have been dispensed with prior to the Friday deadline,
but that Reid deliberately put a disaster aid bill on the calendar
ahead of the FAA bill, almost guaranteeing that Coburn's amendment
and others could not be considered.
Coburn says he wants money currently set aside for "enhancement"
projects to go to more pressing infrastructure needs like bridge
repair. It has nothing at all to do with aviation or the FAA.
The bill, when eventually disposed of by the Senate, will be the
21st stop-gap extension of FAA funding since the last long-term
appropriation expired in 2007. The House passed the bill by voice
vote Tuesday.
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