Several key air and ground transportation issues are pressing before Congress, but lawmakers have only a few working days this month in which to address them.
Lawmakers return to Washington Jan. 17, but the Senate has only seven days scheduled for legislative work in January and the House just six.
On the surface side, a temporary extension approved in September to keep transportation safety programs and highway projects operating across the country expires at the end of March.
The Senate is expected to continue working on a two-year surface reauthorization bill moving through committees there. On the House side, however, no reauthorization bill has been introduced.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Tuesday that the House in “the coming weeks and months” will vote on a bill he supports to fund surface transportation programs by expanding oil drilling off-shore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
President Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
The most immediate issue before both chambers is reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.
FAA’s latest temporary extension expires Jan. 31, and without a 23rd extension or passage of a long-term reauthorization bill, the FAA will have to shut down as it did for two weeks last summer.
