Anger surrounding an aviation safety provision is looming over the annual defense policy bill as senators prepare to take another procedural vote to advance the legislation later today.
The leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee — Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) — on Monday continued their public outcry over what they argue is inadequate language to address air safety following the deadly plane crash at Reagan National Airport in January.
The National Defense Authorization Act included measures to tamp down on military helicopter training operations around Reagan National Airport, unless the aircraft broadcasts proximity alerts to others flying nearby. The requirement can be waived in certain cases.
But Cantwell charged during a news conference that the provision would “codify a loophole into law.” And she and Cruz called on Senate leaders to replace this provision with a bipartisan bill known as the ROTOR Act.
“What are we doing to get a better system so that the flying public feels safe about this situation and pilots aren’t surprised?” Cantwell said. She and Cruz were flanked by families of the victims of the January midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
Cruz and Cantwell’s push could also get a separate vote as part of the next FY2026 appropriations package. The pair had previously hoped to shoehorn their full plan into the NDAA as a late-in-the-game addition, but it didn’t make the cut.
The effort could gain greater momentum after a near-collision in recent days between a commercial airliner heading to New York and an Air Force refueling tanker, which reportedly was not broadcasting its position.
“Why do we continue to tolerate near misses?” Cruz said, pointing to that incident.
Under scrutiny. The NDAA language drew an unusually blunt rebuke from the National Transportation Safety Board chair last week. “If it sounds like I’m mad, I am mad. This is shameful,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters.
The chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services panels in a joint statement last week defended the NDAA language as taking “critical first steps.” They welcomed “further action” in conjunction with NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration and other lawmakers.
“We agree that there is more that needs to be done,” Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), as well as Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said.
Venezuela briefing news. In addition to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other defense heavyweights providing a classified all-House member briefing Tuesday morning include Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine, Acting Coast Guard Vice Commandant Thomas Allan and Eric Widmar, legal counsel to Caine.
