Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House of Representatives this week passed legislation to continue vital aviation and surface transportation programs while Congress completes a comprehensive, long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Act.

Importantly, the temporary extension contains no negative policy provisions, reductions in funding, or political grandstanding. Rather, it is a clean extension until mid-February.

Aviation and surface transportation programs represent critical elements of our economy. The current extension avoids another Republican-led shut down, as occurred last summer--a shutdown that jeopardized the jobs of tens of thousands of workers and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue. I also am very pleased that the House of Representatives appointed conferees so that Congress can complete the long-term reauthorization of the important programs related to the Federal Aviation Administration. Our nation enjoys one of the best and strongest aviation systems in the world; Congress must do our part to update and strengthen our aviation laws in a permanent way to provide economic and workforce security and safety related to air transportation. A full reauthorization will improve the safety, efficiency and competitiveness of our aviation system.