The House of Representatives approved legislation Friday that will give the Department of Transportation the ability to table furloughs for air traffic controllers.
The strong House majority vote (361 to 41) follows the Senate's unanimous consent approval of the measure Thursday night. The bill grants the FAA the use of up to $253 million from other parts of its budget to prevent furloughs.
FAA furloughs, which the agency argued was a necessary consequence of the way sequestration cuts are implemented, began this week.
President Obama has insisted there is "no smart way" to manage the budget cuts imposed by sequestration, and has instead pushed for replacing the cuts with increased taxes on the wealthy. He is expected to sign the FAA bill.
"The president believes it's good news to eliminate this problem," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday, but called the measure a "band-aid covering a massive wound to the economy."
