Senators Introduce Bill to Prevent Repeat of Potomac Collision

Proposed legislation would enhance coordination between the FAA and Department of Defense.

Zach Vasile

Friday, June 06, 2025 at 03:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Delta aircraft takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. [Shutterstock/Andrew Mauro]

Key Takeaways:

A group of Democratic senators introduced the "Safe Operation of Shared Airspace Act" to improve coordination and safety between commercial and military flights, following a deadly mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
The bill mandates military and noncommercial federal aircraft use the ADS-B Out navigation system, establishes an FAA office for military flight coordination, and requires enhanced information sharing between the FAA and military branches.
It also aims to strengthen the FAA by protecting it from hiring freezes and includes specific provisions to improve airspace safety at and around DCA, where the collision highlighted critical oversight gaps and staffing concerns.

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A group of Democratic U.S. senators have introduced a bill aimed at better coordinating commercial and military flights in response to a midair collision earlier this year that killed 67 people.

The Safe Operation of Shared Airspace Act would require military and other noncommercial federal flights to use the ADS-B Out navigation system that commercial flights do, shield the FAA from future hiring freezes, and establish an agency office to oversee the coordination of flight paths with the Pentagon.