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Harry Reid: Sen. Coburn blocking FAA, highway funding bill in Senate
"One senator" could prevent the Senate from approving a bill to extend funding for highways and the Federal Aviation Administration, the latter of which expires Friday, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a speech on the floor Wednesday, referring to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla).
Reid (D-Nev.) said under Senate rules, a hold Coburn is placing on a bill to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could prevent lawmakers in the chamber from voting a bill to extend the FAA's funding through January and highway spending through March. The deal, which has already been passed by the House, is widely expected to be approved in the Senate and is being hailed as a victory by transportation advocates after the partial shutdown of the FAA last month.
But Reid said Wednesday that Coburn's objection to the $6.9 billion FEMA bill because of its price could cost more emergency management dollars.
“I am in a situation where I can’t get to this bill until Friday, when it expires,” Reid said of the FAA bill.
Reid said he thought Coburn did not want a vote on the emergency management bill because he thought he would lose.
“That senator says he doesn’t want a vote [on an amendment],” said Reid, without naming Coburn. “He wants to hold the bill up.”
Coburn spokesman John Hart said Wednesday that the senator "makes no apologies for doing everything in his power to force his colleagues to cut wasteful spending instead of inflicting further damage on our economy through unnecessary borrowing.
"Congress’s refusal to live within its means has created an economic disaster and a debt that is now our greatest national security threat," he said.
Hart said Coburn was also opposed to provisions in the transportation bill designed to increase the number of bike paths and trees along roadways.
"The beautification mandate is an indefensible threat against public safety that forces states to prioritize bike paths over bridge repair," he said.
