US: Lawmakers approve FAA extension and hurricane tax relief

US lawmakers Thursday approved a bill extending the FAA’s authority to operate and spend federal money and a package of tax relief bills to aid hurricane victims, sending them to President Donald Trump for his signature. Authorization for the FAA was set to expire on Saturday, the end of the budget year. The bill will keep the agency operating for another six months as Congress debates whether to privatize the country’s air traffic control system and considers new airline passenger protections. The Senate passed the bill unanimously followed by the House of Representatives, which adopted the Senate version by unanimous consent. Trump in March proposed handing over control of US air traffic control to a privately-operated board, but has faced resistance among many in Congress and owners of private planes. Major US carriers, including American Airlines, United, Southwest and JetBlue , all back the privatization proposal.<br/>