WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his opening statement at today’s Senate Commerce Committee executive session, Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) detailed how the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act will make flying safer in light of January’s fatal plane crash at Reagan National Airport. Last week, Sen. Cruz and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) reached a bipartisan agreement to help advance the bill out of committee.

Sen. Cruz also highlighted the need to pass the PIPELINE Safety Act, which upgrades pipeline safety and affects millions of jobs in Texas and across the country. Sen. Cruz introduced the bill alongside Ranking Member Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.). The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) was last authorized in 2020.

Nominations for the Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation, as well as other bipartisan pieces of legislation, will be considered. The bills on the agenda draw from the Committee’s jurisdiction over oceans, weather forecasting, American competitiveness, scientific research, telecommunications, and consumer protection.

Here are Sen. Cruz’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Today we’ll consider three nominees—Harry Kumar, Joyce Meyer, and Seval Oz—who are headed to the Departments of Commerce and Transportation.  We’ll also take up a bipartisan reauthorization of pipeline safety programs and the ROTOR Act in response to the tragic aviation accident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January.

“First a word about the bipartisan PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025.  As the energy capital of the world, millions of jobs nationally and in Texas depend on the safe and reliable movement of energy.  The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, has the critical task of overseeing more than 3 million miles of oil, natural gas, and other liquid pipelines that move energy across this country every single day.

“The PIPELINE Safety Act, which I introduced with Ranking Member Cantwell and Senators Young and Peters, is an important, consensus-driven bill that directs PHMSA to address key pipeline safety challenges.

“First, this bill authorizes appropriations for PHMSA’s pipeline safety programs for five years, giving the agency the time and resources it needs to address critical priorities.  The bill updates safety rules for storage tanks that are currently in use, lets pipeline operators test new and more modern safety technologies in real-world conditions, and guards against risks from pipelines made with composite materials.

“The bill also strengthens state ‘call before you dig’ programs and addresses the safety of hydrogen-natural gas blending and carbon dioxide pipelines.

“I want to thank the members of this committee for sharing their priorities, dozens of which are reflected in the bill.

“A brief word about the other bipartisan bills on today’s markup.  Two of them—Senator Wicker’s Integrated Ocean Observation System Reauthorization Act of 2025 and Senator Baldwin’s Digital Coast Act—support the gathering and accessibility of ocean and forecasting data. 

“That information may prove helpful for fishermen, who will be pleased to see we’re reporting out Senator Sullivan’s Young Fishermen’s Development Extension Act.

“Senator Young’s Global Investment in American Jobs Act calls for a review of our ability to attract foreign direct investment from responsible private businesses in allied countries.

“Senator Ernst’s National STEM Week Act would establish a week to promote education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—an important recognition of the growing number of U.S. jobs that require STEM skills.

“Senator Budd’s Foreign Robocall Elimination Act would establish an interagency taskforce to report on foreign-initiated robocalls.  With advances in technology, illegal robocalls are being made from all over the world more cheaply than ever before.  It’s high time we protect Americans, especially seniors, from these annoying, unwanted attempts to bilk them out of their money.

“Finally, I’ll turn to the ROTOR Act, which I introduced in July with Senators Moran, Blackburn, Budd, Capito, Marshall, Schmitt, Sheehy, and Young.

“The substitute amendment, which we negotiated with the minority and is cosponsored by Senators Cantwell, Capito, Klobuchar, Budd, Duckworth, Blackburn, Markey, and Young, closes a dangerous loophole that allowed military aircraft to operate in domestic skies without communicating their position quickly and accurately to other aviators like commercial aircraft do. 

“The legislation requires all aircraft operating in congested airspace to equip with ADS-B In, which will enable planes to receive position signals from other aircraft—something the NTSB has recommended for decades.  It also directs the FAA to conduct more in-depth safety reviews at airports with nearby helicopter traffic, better coordinate communication between the FAA and the Pentagon, and requires the Army Inspector General to review for systemic failures that may have contributed to the January crash at DCA.

“Lastly, I want to recognize the families of the victims who are here today.  In particular, Sheri Lilley, whose stepson Sam was the first officer for the American Airlines flight 5342, is with us, as are Jin, Win, and Sally Zhou, who lost family members Yu and Eddie Zhou and Kaiyon Mao. 

“Without the families, the ROTOR Act wouldn’t be happening.  As National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has said, this legislation will save lives.”

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