Congress must appropriate the federal government’s budget for the fiscal year 2011 by October 1 yet the House and Senate are struggling to meet the appropriations deadline through the stop-gap measure of a continuing resolution. A continuing resolution would extend the 2010 FY appropriations into 2011 unless significantly more or fewer funds are requested for specific programs. In such a case, Congress would labor through negotiations until the continuing resolution passes both the House and the Senate; if it fails to meet the October 1 deadline, the programs under question may be halted until a new appropriations bill passes in 2011.

This year, the Obama Administration proposed two changes that are significant for transportation. The first would make permanent last year’s pilot program that waived truck weight and size limits on federal highways in Maine and Vermont; the second would seek an extension for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the case that a proposed three month extension of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund fails to pass in the Senate. A failure of either resolution to pass would result in the interruption of some FAA activities and programs.

While the House usually reviews a continuing resolution before the Senate votes, House Democrats have sent the appropriations legislation to the Senate first to ensure that the bill can pass before they return to vote on it. The House is expected to vote this week on September 29 or 30 to meet the October 1 deadline.