On Friday, Congress passed legislation ordering the Transportation Department to reallocate money to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that would allow air traffic controllers who have been furloughed to return to work.
In an overwhelming 361-41 vote, House Democrats mostly joined Republicans to pass the measure, one day after the Senate approved the same bill by unanimous consent. Voting against the bill were 12 Republicans and 29 Democrats.
Democrats, who were seeking to get a broader solution to the sequester that included new taxes, quickly caved after thousands of complaints were received from travelers regarding flight delays on account of the layoff of air traffic controllers. Democrats too, had held out saying they wanted a broader fix and not a piece-meal approach to the sequester, as other programs such as Head Start and defense operations were still suffering.
On Friday, Republicans lashed out at Democrats for initially rejecting the idea of reorganizing the cuts, and cast the bill as a necessary legislative fix.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fl.) said that while he still believes the administration has the power to adjust the sequester cuts, the bill provides a “fig leaf” for the administration, thehill.com reported.
