House delays long-term transportation plan over funding, timing

“There will be a few points that will raise some eyebrows,” said Mica, who has outlined the intent of his bill to consolidate agencies and streamline regulations but said that he is in no hurry to make the bill public. “There are a lot of good things in the Boxer bill, and I look forward to working with her.”

Mica said he was confident that his bill could pass the House before the current extension expires.

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In a related transportation issue, House and Senate committee staff members met Wednesday to continue discussions on a major aviation funding reauthorization. The Federal Aviation Administration is operating under its 22nd short-term funding extension since its last funding bill expired in 2007.

The stalemate, which has hobbled progress on a $40 billion new air traffic system that will revolutionize air traffic, is over a handful of issues that are irrelevant to the vast majority of passengers.

Though both the House and Senate approved FAA bills this year, a conference committee has yet to meet and senior staff haven’t been able to resolve conflict over a labor ruling that primarily would affect Delta Air Lines, the volume of air traffic in and out of Reagan National Airport and federal subsidies for service to rural airports.

Mica has remained optimistic, but his Senate counterpart, John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) gave a more grim assessment of prospects for agreement when he spoke last month before the Aero Club of Washington, an industry group.

On Wednesday, Mica said, “I’m doing everything I can to finish that before Christmas. There are two or three issues that have to be decided at the member or higher level.”

Mica set out to provoke the Senate into action in July when he included provisions in the 22nd extension that he knew were unpalatable to key Senate members. The resulting fuss lead to a temporary shutdown of the FAA and the furlough of 4,000 federal workers.

“If they didn’t like my last extension, they sure as hell won’t like this one,” Mica said Wednesday. “But I don’t want to do another extension. I will take whatever measures ... to get that bill passed.”