WASHINGTON \u2014 The House rejected an aviation safety bill Tuesday that the Senate unanimously passed in response to the deadly midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family members of some of the 67 crash victims looked on from the gallery above the chamber as House members voted on the ROTOR Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the author of the bill, was spotted on the House floor trying to whip last-minute support for it. He was seen consoling family members after the failed vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tally was 264-133, falling just short of the two-thirds threshold needed to pass since it was being fast-tracked under a procedure known as \u201csuspension of the rules.\u201d Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his entire GOP leadership team voted against the bill after the Defense Department came out against it Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think there was a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation that was put out,\u201d Cruz told reporters after the House vote, vowing not to give up. \u201cWe came within a couple of votes of two-thirds. An overwhelming majority of the House voted for ROTOR, and I believe we\u2019re going to pass it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform, or ROTOR, Act would establish \u201cnew requirements for virtually all aircraft and helicopters to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance \u2014 Broadcast (ADS-B)\u201d \u2014 a technology that broadcasts an aircraft\u2019s location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent in December, giving it momentum as it headed to the House. But the Pentagon pulled its support Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said in a statement Monday that while the department worked with the Senate on the legislation, it “does not reflect several of the mutually discussed updates” and could disrupt “national defense activities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs currently drafted, enactment would create significant unresolved budgetary burdens and operational security risks affecting national defense activities,\u201d Parnell said. \u201cThe Department remains ready to continue productive dialogue with Congress to ensure the legislation achieves its safety goals while protecting essential operational capabilities and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., voiced opposition to the legislation Monday night, as well, saying in a statement that \u201cany successful directive or mandate from Congress will be calculated, scalable, and future proof \u2014 not a blanket mandate that limits the aviation community to one technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graves pledged to bring up a rival, House-led aviation safety bill called the ALERT Act in his committee for a markup as soon as next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the ROTOR Act is not approved by the House today, I commit to the supporters of that legislation, to the accident victims\u2019 families, and to the aviation community, that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will mark up the ALERT Act as soon as next week and work with our colleagues in the Senate to get this right,\u201d Graves said in a statement Tuesday. \u201cSafety will always be my number one priority, which is why it is vital that we address the NTSB\u2019s recommendations in a timely manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ALERT Act is bipartisan and led by the chairs and ranking members of the Transportation and Armed Services committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., a member of Johnson\u2019s leadership team, echoed Graves\u2019 desire to take up the House alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think [the ROTOR Act] went far enough for safety,\u201d Hern said in an interview after Tuesday’s vote. \u201cAs a pilot for 45 years, there\u2019s not a pilot that I know or have known that doesn\u2019t want to be as safe and secure as possible \u2014 not only for their own lives but for the lives of those flying around. And the House bill does a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. government admitted in court documents to failures that led to the midair collision over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29, 2025. Sixty passengers and four crew members on American Airlines Flight 5342 were killed; three soldiers on the military helicopter were also killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were no survivors. It was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe United States admits that it owed a duty of care to Plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident,\u201d attorneys for the government said in a court filing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n