The House passed a $105 billion aviation bill on Wednesday just days ahead of its expiration, putting an end to a monthslong fight over whether to increase the number of flights at the nation’s busiest runway.
Lawmakers voted 387-26 to renew the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act for another five years, overcoming the two-thirds majority threshold needed to pass the House. The legislation was brought to the floor under a suspension of rules, raising the minimum vote threshold needed in order to expedite its passage.
The vote comes just days after the measure passed the Senate following a dayslong impasse caused by senators who opposed a provision that would add 10 slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, arguing it would cause delays and become a risk to public safety.
The renewal comes as good news to more than 3,000 federal employees who would have been furloughed had the measure expired after the deadline of midnight on Friday. The FAA was initially scheduled to expire last week, but lawmakers passed a temporary extension last week to buy time to hammer out a final deal.
