Budd delivers remarks at press conference with Secretary Sean Duffy, key transportation leaders, and families of DCA crash victims
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today joined Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in introducing the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, legislation responding to the tragic accident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that occurred on January 29, 2025, and the ongoing concerns to improve aviation safety in the National Capital Region (NCR) and around the country.
The ROTOR Act would establish new requirements for virtually all aircraft to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). ADS-B technology allows aircraft to accurately communicate their location with greater precision than traditional radar.
On the six-month anniversary of the DCA crash, Sen. Budd joined Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, Senate colleagues, and family members representing victims at a press conference to unveil the ROTOR Act.
WATCH: Sen. Budd Delivers Remarks in Support of ROTOR Act
During the press conference, Sen. Budd said:
“I wish we weren’t here because I wish this wasn’t an anniversary at all […] This hits home, because six out of the 67 souls that lost their lives that day were North Carolinians, or North Carolina connected, including all four members of the Charlotte-based flight crew and one of the helicopter pilots.
“I’m hopeful that our efforts in Congress, starting today, are going to make a difference in making our entire air traffic control system and our airspace a lot safer. ADS-B is a critical safety technology. Mandating that aircraft are equipped and using this technology […] I think is a key step in making sure that all Americans are safe.”
Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) also co-sponsored the ROTOR Act.
Read the full bill text HERE.
BACKGROUND
The ROTOR Act additionally:
- Requires all aircraft in controlled airspace to be equipped with “ADS-B In,” which will allow pilots to communicate better with other aircraft, air traffic control (ATC), and vehicles on the ground.
- Closes a loophole that permits the Department of Defense to fly aircraft domestically without having to use “ADS-B Out” technology.
- Enhances oversight of helicopter routes near commercial service airports, requires quarterly reports on “ADS-B Out” compliance, and studies potential improvements to the airspace around DCA.
- Mandates all newly manufactured aircraft to be equipped with ADS-B technology for use in crowded airspaces.
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