Sen. Cruz Touts FAA Bill’s Focus On Safety and Convenience for Texas Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took to the Senate floor today to praise the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, a bill that he authored with Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The legislation represents a bicameral, bipartisan agreement that will meaningfully address the challenges facing the aviation industry that have become abundantly clear to the traveling public over the last year.

About the bill, Sen. Cruz said,"This bill, negotiated by Chair Cantwell and myself with the leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure and Science committees, is a bicameral and a bipartisan accomplishment. It is the culmination of many months of work between us and our staffs and is reflective of the priorities of a great many Senators. On the Republican side alone, more than 200 member priorities were included. I am especially proud of the numerous provisions that make for a safer and more convenient travel experience for Texans and for consumers across the nation, and for the provisions that will help growTexas's thriving aerospace sector. It will make significant strides in aviation safety, the primary mission of the FAA and something I know that all of us care deeply about. It will provide a clear path forward to integrate new advanced aviation technologies and will makes it easier for flyers to get upfront information on ticket prices."

Watch the video here.

FAA Reauthorization Bill Delivers for the Lone Star State:

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 contains provisions that make for a safer and more convenient travel experience for consumers and help grow Texas' aviation sector.

Key examples of these provisions include:

• A historic $4 billion per year in funding for airport infrastructure projects that will boost capacity and safety at airports across Texas and the nation.

• Five additional exemptions to statutory "perimeter rule," allowing new round-trip flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) from locations previously excluded from direct flights. This will provide the ability for a direct flight from San Antonio to DCA, delivering a more convenient travel experience for members of the military traveling from Joint Base San Antonio, business travelers, and tourists.

• Directing the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers. Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACON) for both the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas have been understaffed in recent years, contributing to delayed flights and tower closures.
  • A provision authorizing the creation of a Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies for new and emerging aviation technologies including for advanced air mobility and powered-lift. This center would be responsible for testing and advancing these technologies including by overseeing the development and related activities of testing corridors and other flight demonstration zones. Importantly, the Center would also work to facilitate partnerships between industry, academia, and related government agencies to further unleash innovative aviation?technologies.

• • An adjustment to the bill's discretionary airport improvement program funding structures that would boost McKinney National Airport's efforts to become the third primary commercial airport in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. While the terminal expansion will be primarily financed at the local level, the bill expands McKinney National's eligibility for up to $20 million in federal funding.
• Reforms aimed at better integrating commercial space activities into the national airspace system to assist launch providers in navigating complicated airspace, a boost for Texas' thriving commercial space industry.
• Provisions that could benefit Texas universities seeking to develop aviation-related curriculum and workforce development programs such as Texas Women's University and San Angelo State University.
• Reforms to FAA's State Block Grant and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) administrative funding programs that will greatly benefit the Texas Department of Transportation.
• Funding that will improve the operational capabilities for the FAA's UAS test range managed by Texas A&M and located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
• A measure addressing the recent devastating wildfires in Texas by directing the FAA to develop a plan to better integrate the use of unmanned aircraft systems to help fight wildfires.
• A provision that will streamline approvals to allow for more drone operations for offshore oil and gas facilities in international waters.
• New guidance directing the FAA to establish a process to enable test and demonstration flights for hypersonic and supersonic aircraft making it possible that a test corridor could be established in Texas.

Read Sen. Cruz's full remarks below:

REMARKS AS DELIVERED:

Mr. President, I rise today in strong support for the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. This bill, negotiated by Chair Cantwell and myself with the leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure and Science committees, is a bicameral and a bipartisan accomplishment. It is the culmination of many months of work between us and our staffs and is reflective of the priorities of a great many Senators. On the Republican side alone, more than 200 member priorities were included. I am especially proud of the numerous provisions that make for a safer and more convenient travel experience for Texans and for consumers across the nation, and for the provisions that will help grow Texas's thriving aerospace sector. It will make significant strides in aviation safety, the primary mission of the FAA and something I know that all of us care deeply about. It will provide a clear path forward to integrate new advanced aviation technologies and will makes it easier for flyers to get upfront information on ticket prices.

A flurry of near-misses at our nations' airports, multiple concerning maintenance reports of United Airlines' flights, and the alarming decompression event of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 have together raised serious concerns with the safety of our airspace. Aviation safety has been, and will continue to be, one of the very top priorities of the Senate Commerce Committee. When the people of Texas board a flight, they expect their flight and their families to be safe.

As a result, I am proud to say that our bill includes crucial safety provisions, such as requiring 25-hour cockpit voice recorders in all commercial aircraft. This safety upgrade will allow the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA to have access to vital information needed during accident investigations. This became abundantly clear after the cockpit voice recorder in the Alaska Airlines flight was lost because of an outdated 2-hour requirement. That's unacceptable and it should never happen again. With this bill it will not happen again.

In response to recent runway surface incidents, this bill establishes a Zero Tolerance runway safety policy. It prioritizes projects that improve surface surveillance, it establishes a Runway Safety Council, and it requires a timeline and an action plan to actually get better runway and tarmac incursion technologies installed at airports that need them.

Air traffic controller shortages have plagued airports across the country, including in my home state of Texas, putting travelers' safety at risk. This legislation aims to relieve the strain on Air Traffic Control by directing the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers, hopefully aiding the many facilities that have been understaffed for too long.

At a time when aircraft safety seems to be in the news every other day, our bipartisan bill makes important upgrades to safety reporting. Commercial aviation has improved in the last several decades, in part because the FAA and industry have tracked trends in safety to respond to a proactive manner to safety concerns, instead of waiting until after a fatal accident has occurred. Furthermore, this bill recognizes the important role that whistleblowers play and includes protections for those reporting safety concerns.

This bill also makes transformative investments in airports across our country by making updates to the formula used to disburse grants for airport infrastructure projects. As a result, all airports across the country will be able to rehab their runways or acquire critical safety technologies. I'm also pleased that the bill makes it easier to obtain permits for airport construction projects. This bill is good for airports large and small across the country.

This bill does not ignore the fact that sometimes airlines screw up and leave consumers hanging. One provision provides that parents in the chamber should be really happy about is a requirement for airlines to ensure families are able to sit together. This just makes sense and will help make traveling with young children just a little bit easier. I am also pleased there is a requirement that customers who need customer service will now be guaranteed they can talk to a human representative, an actual human being, 24/7. Finally, this bill makes important improvements for travelers with disabilities - including requiring training for employees who handle wheelchairs - and it requires the DOT to actually respond to complaints submitted by aggrieved passengers.

I know there has been a lot of attention to the additional five round trip flights at DCA added by this bill. Reagan National is the only airport in the country that Congress has decreed that a plane may travel no farther than 1,250 miles from when landing or after taking off from. It is absurd and it is unfair to millions of flyers who are forced to pay higher prices because of this rule. It's been over a decade since Congress has expanded access to DCA, and the inclusion of five round trip flights is a modest proposal that will bring down consumer prices for flyers in the D.C. region and from western states. This modest increase will not result in negative impacts or delays, nor will it result in loss of flights for anyone who currently receives service.

I repeat: It will not result in loss of flights for any route that currently receives service despite the threats and the fearmongering from the army of United Airlines lobbyists who are actively working to protect their Dulles monopoly. By my count of United's threatened service cuts, these five round-trip flights will lead United to cancel air service to more than half of the states in the Union. Don't believe the propaganda. And I have to say that it's not in the interest of any senator to support a policy that reduces competition, enhances monopoly products for one airline-United Airlines-and drive up the prices, not only for the residents of Virginia and D.C. and Maryland, but for the residents of all 50 states who come to our nation's capital.

In contrast, this modest addition of service will allow for further competition between the airlines that serve DCA. Competition is good for consumers, and it's good for lowering prices. This change will also provide the ability for there to be a direct flight from San Antonio to DC Reagan, delivering a more convenient travel experience for members of the military traveling from Joint Base San Antonio to the Pentagon to Arlington Cemetery to our nation's capital, and also for business travelers, and tourists in San Antonio.

I also want to talk about the benefits this bill has for new aerospace technologies. Our bill helps the FAA both modernize and transform its operations and handling of new entrants like drones and air taxis, a provision that will increase productivity and spur economic activity. Importantly, this reauthorization includes measures to eliminate inefficiencies plaguing the NextGen Office. This legislation also directs the FAA to complete the Beyond Visual Line of Site rulemaking, which will expand drone delivery and other drone operations across the country, and especially in my home state of Texas.

I'm also very proud of the reforms aimed at better integrating commercial space activities into the national airspace system. Assisting launch providers in navigating complicated airspace will be a boost for Texas's thriving commercial space industry.

To carry out all of these ambitious goals, the FAA needs a workforce that has the technical expertise to conduct effective oversight of manufacturers and airlines, as well as technical experts who can help in the certification of these new and novel technologies. This was a major focus of our efforts. For example, in an effort to boost the aviation workforce and provide more opportunities for America's veterans, this legislation makes it easier for military servicemembers to transition to civil aviation careers.

This comprehensive and bipartisan bill bolsters the FAA at a time when the agency needs support. The aviation system is more strained than ever - millions of Americans travel every single day. Millions of Americans depend on the sector to earn their livelihood. The U.S. aviation sector is the gold standard of safety, and I am proud of the improvements and reforms made in this bill and I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this bill to final passage.

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