The fate of the federal aviation bill is still uncertain in the Senate as the deadline approaches

CNN
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The fate of a key federal aviation bill remains uncertain in the Senate as a weekend deadline approaches.

The Senate is working to advance a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill five years ahead of Friday’s deadline, but while there is broad bipartisan support for the legislation, there have been disputes over some key provisions.

The House approved a one-week extension on Wednesday to allow more time to pass the bill, but there were threats of a delay in the Senate even over this one-week stopgap. There is some optimism, however, that the Senators can achieve some kind of breakthrough before the end of the week to avoid a lapse.

“Everyone is being told to stay close because we might be able to get this done,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told reporters.

One of the flashpoints in the debate is flights at Reagan National Airport, outside Washington, DC. A group of Washington-area Democratic senators who oppose adding more long-haul flights in and out of the airport are pushing for a vote on an amendment to remove it from the larger package currently being debated.

Two of those senators, Kaine and Mark Warner, also of Virginia, said Thursday morning that they would oppose speeding up a vote on the interim bill unless they were promised a vote on the amendment. They cited an incident at Reagan National last month in which two planes nearly collided after being cleared for the same runway.

There are signs, however, that the four Democratic senators from Maryland and Virginia, who have so far been frustrated in their efforts to get a vote on an amendment to eliminate five new flights in and out of the airport, are changing tactics. .

Kaine, Warner, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Ben Cardin introduced a new amendment Thursday that would empower the Department of Transportation to study whether the new flights can be added safely and not cause more congestion and delays at DCA.

“It would have to have the approval of a transportation secretary, only if it could be done without inconveniencing passengers or harming safety,” Kaine said, adding that the original amendment he introduced is the one he likes best because it says, “No additional flights.”

Reiterating how he would oppose passing a week-long FAA extension without a vote on the slots issue, Kaine said, “We have to make sure we get a vote, because otherwise they could run out of time. us and not allow any changes.”

At this time, there are still objections on both sides to all proposed changes.

Coming out of the Democratic luncheon, Kaine said that while no decision has been made on his amendments, negotiations are ongoing.

Kaine said of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: “He was optimistic that we can get it done today.”

Lawmakers have been trying to pass a sweeping Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would guide aviation policy for the next five years and includes a plan to fill a shortfall of 3,000 air traffic controllers, prevent planes from colliding on runways and define airline refund policies. .

The more than 1,000-page legislation is expected to pass with bipartisan support, even as the timing for final passage remains in limbo.

CNN’s Shania Shelton, Haley Talbot and Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.