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The Federal Aviation Administration’s authorities would be extended temporarily until May 17 under House legislation passed Wednesday (Bloomberg Law, subscription).

• The extension bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

What’s going on: “The one-week extension is aimed to buy time for Congress, which has struggled to pass a five-year FAA reauthorization in time for the May 10 deadline. Stress on the aviation system has added pressure to the timeline amid concerns about a shortage of air traffic controllers, outdated technology, near-misses and unstable funding. The FAA would be unable to collect revenue if ticket and fuel taxes expire.”

• The extension would be the fourth since the last five-year reauthorization was set to expire at the end of last September.
• The news follows a bipartisan vote last Wednesday in the Senate to advance the 1,069-page reauthorization bill, which sets the agency’s priorities and includes billions of dollars in appropriations for the FAA and hundreds of millions for the National Transportation Safety Board through fiscal year 2028. 

What it’s meant to do: An extension would give Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) the chance to force a procedural vote to advance the five-year compromise measure “without risking a lapse in the FAA’s authority.”

Our view: The NAM “applauds bipartisan, bicameral efforts to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration,” NAM Director of Transportation, Infrastructure and Labor Policy Max Hyman said Wednesday in a comment cited by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

• “The aviation industry is critical to our nation’s economy and the success of U.S. manufacturers. The NAM commends the work of committee leaders in both the House and Senate to update the FAA’s programs and authorities and streamline permitting processes. We will continue to work with Congress to ensure passage of a long-term FAA reauthorization.”