Sen. Cruz, Rep. Onder: It’s Time to Pass the ROTOR Act

New op-ed urges House passage of bipartisan bill making aviation safer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Representative Bob Onder (R-MO) published an op-ed in RealClearPolicy today calling for swift House passage of the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, a bipartisan airspace safety reform bill prompted by last year's fatal midair collision at Reagan National Airport.

Sen. Cruz and Rep. Onder stressed that the ROTOR Act would enact the key recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board's investigative crash report: require all aircraft in congested airspace to send and receive location signals known as ADS-B to each other. The NTSB has recommended broader ADS-B usage for more than two decades. The Senate unanimously passed the ROTOR Act in December.

Read the full text of the op-ed HERE or below:

"Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by announcing the crash's probable causes and contributing factors. Among the findings, the NTSB made one unmistakable point: this crash was avoidable. Had the aviation sector heeded a longstanding NTSB recommendation that all aircraft in a congested airspace integrate ADS-B - a faster and more accurate location technology than traditional radar - 67 lives could have been saved.

"There are two ways ADS-B works: ADS-B "Out" broadcasts an aircraft's location and ADS-B "In" enables a pilot to see those "Out" signals. Since 2020, aircraft have been required to broadcast ADS-B "Out" to help air traffic control, but on January 29^th, 2025, the U.S. Army helicopter flying into DC airspace was not sharing its location even though all other aircraft near busy airports are required to do so. Moreover, neither the helicopter nor the cockpit of the American Airlines flight landing at DCA had integrated ADS-B In. Had the helicopter and airplane had ADS-B on board, they would have been able to spot the impending collision nearly a minute before impact.

"To close the military aircraft loophole and make flying safer, we've introduced the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act. This bipartisan bill would fulfill and codify NTSB's recommendation by requiring all aircraft in congested airspace to receive and transmit ADS-B signals. It would make the military follow the same aviation safety rules as everyone else and evaluate the airspace design around commercial airports for safety.

"While there are other factors that contributed to an unsafe environment at DCA on January 29th, the fact that the helicopter operated under its own set of rules also makes clear that safety standards must apply to everyone. Any aircraft - military or civilian - that's flying into a busy airport must use the same broadcast location technology. The ROTOR Act doesn't apply new safety standards to a crop duster in rural Arkansas, but if that crop duster (or more likely, a private jet) wants to land at DCA or DFW or O'Hare, it should have to follow the same rules as everyone else.

"The ROTOR Act will save lives. And it can become law very quickly.

"In December, all 100 senators agreed to advance the ROTOR Act after garnering support from the Department of War, the Department of Transportation, and NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. All that's needed is for the House to pass it.

"Over the past year, President Trump and Secretary Duffy have made huge strides for aviation safety - permanently closing certain helicopter routes near DCA, upgrading the air traffic control system, and investing to modernize the system. Congressional Republicans put $12.5 billion in the Working Families Tax Cut Act for air traffic modernization. Secretary Duffy has, with these funds, made quick progress, already replacing one-third of the FAA's antiquated telecommunications system with 21^st century fiber, satellite, and wireless coverage.

"But by enacting the ROTOR Act, Congress will have done much more to protect passengers flying through congested airspace around the country. The NTSB estimated that in just three years leading to the 2025 collision, there were 15,000 near miss events at National Airport alone. There have been reports of similar issues at other major metropolitan airports, too. Pentagon data show military aviation accidents rose by more than 50 percent between 2020 and 2024. Last year's crash was not an isolated incident - it was the fatal result of years of unheeded warnings.

"When tragedy struck at DCA last year, the NTSB had recommended mandating ADS-B technology 17 times. For decades, this recommendation was ignored. We hope the House quickly passes ROTOR Act to make the skies safer for over 140 million Americans who fly each year.

"The families of the victims of American Airlines Flight 5342 have been vital partners in advocating for these reforms, committed to ensuring no other families lose loved ones in preventable accidents. Safety experts, aviation groups, airlines, and the Trump administration all support the ROTOR Act. This legislation presents a clear and necessary path forward to keep America's skies the safest in the world.

"The failures that led to last year's crash are now known - the NTSB has affirmed that it was preventable. We owe it to those lost-and to every passenger who flies through our skies to act. The ROTOR Act rises above party lines and turns tragedy into action. We are calling on our colleagues to do their part and send the ROTOR Act to President Trump to be signed into law."

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