WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation—released the following statement after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its final report on the tragic DCA mid-air collision in January of last year:
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“Many of the findings in this report on the DCA mid-air collision point to issues that have persisted for years—and they are issues I’ve been sounding the alarm on for years. There is an unacceptable culture of complacency at the FAA, and the agency’s failure to heed those alarms meant it was always a matter of when—not if—one of the near misses at DCA would become a deadly tragedy. We’ve long known about the mounting strain on air traffic controllers, and we must ensure any investment in our air traffic control system prioritizes its most important asset—its people. That’s one reason why the House needs to pass the ROTOR Act, which will codify many of the recommendations made by the NTSB in this report—but even if that happens, I know we have much more work to do to keep the flying public safe.”
Duckworth is a leading voice in the push to make our skies safer. For years, she has been soundingthe alarm that we must make critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Two months ago, Duckworth pushed for long-term funding certainty for air traffic control (ATC) modernization and impressed upon FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to invest in both training and equipment upgrades in the modernization project. Last Congress, Duckworth chaired two CST Aviation Subcommittee hearings—one in December 2024 and the other a year prior—to address our aviation industry’s chilling surge in near-deadly close calls and underscore the urgent need to improve the ATC system to protect the flying public.
Duckworth helped author the bipartisan FAA reauthorization that was signed into law in 2024 to extend the FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities.
