House votes down FAA reauthorization, disaster relief bill

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday voted 245-171 against passage of the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 (H.R. 3823).    The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday voted down a bill that would have extended the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for six months, and provided tax relief for victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
   The Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 (H.R. 3823) was formally introduced Monday by House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, with cosponsors including Reps. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., and Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla.
   The majority of House Democrats opposed the bill, which was rejected by a vote of 245-171.
   The FAA authorization expires this Saturday, and Shuster pointed out that starting Sunday, absent reauthorization, FAA programs will face a shutdown, thousands of FAA employees could be furloughed, airport projects across the country will come to a halt, and about $40 million a day in Aviation Trust Fund revenues will go uncollected.
   “That’s funding for air traffic control, airport development, and other safety and modernization programs that will never be recovered,” he warned.
   Meanwhile, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and the Ranking Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, and the Financial Services Committee, called on fellow Democrats to oppose the bill yesterday in a “Dear Colleague letter.”
   The letter said that although Democrats support reauthorization of the FAA, the bill also included a “partisan package of extraneous provisions.”
   “The Majority is using this must-pass bill to push through unrelated Republican priorities – all while continuing to block Democrats from bringing the DREAM Act to the Floor,” the letter said.
   In addition, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill was “laden with completely unrelated and inadequate items.”
   “Much more needs to be done to address the needs of Americans recovering from hurricanes and other natural disasters,” she said. “The weak tax provisions added to this package don’t treat all families recovering from natural disasters the same. All Americans, no matter where they live, deserve the same relief and resources they need to rebuild their lives.”