Cruz Calls for Military Flight Restrictions After DC Crash, Threatens Funding Hold

After a January 29 collision over Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people, Sen. Ted Cruz is demanding new restrictions on military flights to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

The Call for Restrictions

Cruz and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell held a news conference Monday with some of the victims’ families to urge Congress to strip provisions from a massive defense bill that’s expected to pass this week. The provisions would allow military aircraft to get a waiver to return to operating without broadcasting their precise location, just as they were before the Jan. 29 crash between an airliner and an Army helicopter.

The ROTOR Act and Congressional Debate

Cruz said he will hold up government funding until the ROTOR act is passed to fix the problem. The act was introduced last summer and seeks to require all aircraft to broadcast their locations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hopes to hold a vote to add the legislation to a government funding package this week, but noted it would be hard to undo the defense authorization bill now.

Reactions from Victims’ Families and Safety Officials

The families of the crash victims said the bill would weaken safeguards and send aviation safety backwards. Amy Hunter, who lost her cousin and his family in the crash, said Trump and his administration had worked to implement safety recommendations from the NTSB, but warned those reforms could be lost in the military policy bill. She said it “now threatens to undo everything, all the progress that was already made, and it will compromise the safety around Reagan National Airport.”

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, senators, airlines and key transportation unions all sharply criticized the new helicopter safety provisions in the defense bill last week when they came to light.

Potential Impact on Defense Bill and Funding

Amending the defense bill would send it back to the House and could delay raises for soldiers and other key provisions. The bill Cruz and Cantwell proposed would require all aircraft to broadcast their locations and has broad support from the White House, the FAA, NTSB and the victims’ families.

Key Takeaways

• Cruz demands new military flight restrictions after a DC crash that killed 67.
• He threatens to hold government funding until the ROTOR act passes.
• The proposed bill would require all aircraft to broadcast their locations and has wide support.

Cruz’s push comes as the defense bill, expected to pass this week, contains language that could undo safety measures implemented by the Trump administration and the NTSB.