Committee chiefs battle over FAA funding

The annual tug-of-war between the House Appropriations and Transportation and Infrastructure committees began anew Monday, this time over the Federal Aviation Administration.

House Appropriations Chairman Bill Young, R-Fla., sent a strongly worded letter to House Speaker Denny Hastert, R-Ill., objecting to the Federal Aviation Administration authorization conference agreement that House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bob Shuster, R-Pa., hammered out last week with Senate Budget Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

Young wrote Monday to Hastert that, "I intend to vote against this bill, and will work to defeat the conference report if it comes to the floor in its present form." Young called the legislation, titled the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, "a bad bill for the [FAA] ... a bad bill for the American taxpayer . and a terrible bill for the prerogatives and flexibility of my committee."

Over the next three years, Young said that AIR-21 "would result in $10 billion in additional spending above the fiscal 2000 baseline." He also said the AIR-21 deal "dangerously skews federal investment priorities in aviation" towards airport construction and air traffic control modernization, "leaving the FAA with a huge shortfall in their operating budget."

Finally, Young objected to the various points of order the AIR-21 conference report would create to ensure Congress enacts the spending levels required by the bill, calling them "an affront to the leadership, to the Committee on Rules, and to my committee, which produces bills under your guidance and instructions."

A Transportation and Infrastructure Committee spokesman said the panel has been aware of Young's concerns all along, and noted, "the House worked its will when it passed this bill overwhelmingly last June" with even more expansive funding provisions than agreed to in conference. He added, "We collect an aviation tax from the public, and I don't think anyone would disagree that we use that money to meet aviation needs." A spokesman for Hastert said, "The speaker's office is aware of Mr. Young's objections, but we have to get this bill done."

Shuster has since agreed to drop a controversial provision to enforce budget points of order in the FAA conference report after strong objections were raised by Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Domenici.

In return, Shuster has been promised an exchange of letters involving Speaker Hastert, House Rules Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., and Shuster to promise to uphold the guaranteed funding levels central to the deal.