Chairman Rogers Opening Statement on the ALERT Act Markup

Washington, D.C., March 26, 2026
"Improving aviation safety and protecting our national security are not mutually exclusive," Chairman Rogers said. "By taking our time and following regular order, we have produced a bill that does both. I thank the NTSB and the Pentagon for working with us throughout this process."
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following remarks on the full committee markup of H.R. 7613 — The ALERT Act. 

For the full text of the ALERT Act, click here. 
For a section-by-section summary, click here. 

Chairman Rogers' Statement As Prepared For Delivery:

Today, we are meeting to mark up the portion of the ALERT Act under HASC’s jurisdiction.
 
It is uncommon for HASC to mark up legislation outside of the NDAA .
 
But this is critically needed legislation to improve aviation safety, and it cannot wait.
 
Last year’s midair collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet on approach to Reagan National should not have happened.
 
The NTSB completed its investigation last month, and its report included 13 recommendations to the Army and the Pentagon to ensure another tragedy like this does not happen again.
 
Title II of the ALERT Act carries out all 13 of these recommendations.
 
In fact, the NTSB states that the bill before us not only meets their recommendations but, in most cases, exceeds them. 
 
For instance, the NTSB made several recommendations to the Army to improve its training and safety management system. 
 
The ALERT Act requires all the military services to make these safety improvements. Not just the Army.
 
The ALERT Act also addresses concerns raised by the Department of War with the bill that passed the Senate.
 
The bill before us ensures our bombers, fighters, and other classified aircraft can continue to execute their critical national security missions without revealing their location to our enemies.
 
Improving aviation safety and protecting our national security are not mutually exclusive. 
 
By taking our time and following regular order, we have produced a bill that does both.
 
I thank the NTSB and the Pentagon for working with us throughout this process.
 
I also want to thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Members Larsen and Smith, as well as the staff on both committees, for their hard work.
 
Finally, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those lost in this terrible accident.
 
And I thank the PAT Two-Five and Flight 5342 families for their tireless efforts to ensure a tragedy like this never occurs again.