{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=01AAC1A8-E581-4E82-89F6-A113EEB44441", "PASSED: Sens. Moran, Cruz\u2019s ROTOR Act to Improve Aviation Safety Standards After DCA Tragedy", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KS", "Jerry Moran", "M000934", "www.moran.senate.gov", "moran", "https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Sen. Moran\u2019s full remarks as delivered:\n\n\u201cSenator Cruz \u2013 the gentleman from Texas \u2013 and Senator Cantwell \u2013 the gentlewoman from Washington state \u2013 thank you very much for the opportunity to join with you today and throughout a long process since January, the 29th, earlier this year.\n\n\u201cThat flight \u2013 Flight 5342 \u2013 originated in Wichita, Kansas, and as we know, on January 29th, it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. And it changed the way we look at air safety every moment since then.\n\n\u201cAnd I appreciate the leadership of my two colleagues on the full committee \u2013 as well as Senator Duckworth, my colleague on the subcommittee on aviation \u2013 to make certain that we take all the steps necessary to make certain that the families who remind us today, and almost every day since January the 29th, about the importance of making the skies of the United States safe for those who fly today and in the future.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s numerous, numerous circumstances that led to this horrific incident, and NTSB\u2019s critical investigation into this collision is continuing. While NTSB\u2019s final recommendations have not yet been released, the Chair of NTSB, Jennifer Homendy, took the unprecedented step of publicly stating the National Defense Authorization Act does not adequately address the safety concerns surrounding the mixed airspace at DCA.\n\n\u201cAnd while NDAA is critical to bolstering our defense capabilities, I have major concerns with the portion of the bill that is being fixed by the efforts today here on the Senate floor with this unanimous consent request.\n\n\u201cAfter numerous conversations with my colleagues, Senator Cruz and Senator Cantwell, we secured an agreement from the Senate leadership \u2013 and I thank that Senate leadership, Senator Thune \u2013 for an amended version of the ROTOR Act, that it be quickly brought to the Senate floor for consideration to reinstate the advanced critical standards of safety for commercial and military aviation. We\u2019re doing that right now.\n\n\u201cThe ROTOR Act closes the loopholes that have been described by my colleagues; it strengthens ADS-B requirements for commercial and military aircraft, among many other things. It requires a safety review of DCA and requires better coordination and information sharing between FAA and DoD.\n\n\u201cI commend the FAA Administrator for his commitment, and particularly Secretary Duffy, for their combined commitment to air safety. In fact, when we conclude this effort here on the Senate floor, our committee is in session \u2013 our subcommittee is in session \u2013 with Administrator Bedford, the FAA Administrator, to review what other steps are being taken across the country for a safe airspace at every airport. We are bringing technology to bear that has been only talked about in the past and is now being accomplished.\n\n\u201cOur aviation system is fragile, and over the last year, Congress has passed significant legislation investing in that airspace to increase the safety and to make sure that all who fly can be and are safe and feel safe.\n\n\u201cNow is not the time to take any steps backwards, and that\u2019s what we were worried, concerned about, that the NDAA provision does. While Congress works to ensure in law the safety of our airspace, our DOT and FAA leaders are committed to abide by current safety standards, maintaining that safety at the DCA airspace.\n\n\u201cAs both have said, more work to be done, but it\u2019s a pretty good day to be taking the steps we\u2019re taking and knowing that more is to come in honor of those who perished on January 29th, from Kansas, across the country and around the world.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=01AAC1A8-E581-4E82-89F6-A113EEB44441"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9326201397925615, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}