GOP senator calls for House to act on must-pass aviation bill

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) says the House has to act first on a short-term aviation bill, but he hopes the lower chamber passes legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for as long as six months.

“The House will move one first because of the tax title … I’m hoping they will send us a six-month extension,” Thune, chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, told reporters Tuesday. “We’ll see what they decide to do with it over there and then obviously we’ll process it over here.”

The FAA’s legal authority expires at the end of the month, but long-term bills to reauthorize the agency are stalled in both chambers.

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Now lawmakers will have to enact a short-term patch by the end of next week. House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) told The Hill last week that he wants the extension to last through 2017.

But questions have been swirling about whether it will be a clean bill or if other policy items will be attached to the must-pass legislation.

When pressed on whether energy tax breaks might be added to an FAA bill, Thune said, “We’ll see.”

Democrats tried to attach energy tax credits to the FAA bill last year after they were unintentionally left out of a tax extenders package, but the idea was dropped when lawmakers were unable to come to an agreement.

 “I’m not aware they’re thinking about doing something along those lines, but obviously with a tax title, it presents a vehicle, an opportunity,” Thune said.