Why it Matters

The 2025 midair collision near Reagan National Airport killed dozens and exposed what aviation safety advocates describe as systemic gaps in how the U.S. manages its most congested airspace. More than a year later, Congress is still debating how to respond — and the answer it lands on will determine whether the next near-miss becomes another tragedy.

The House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to take up H.R. 7613, the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency Act of 2026, on March 26 The ALERT Act hearing puts the committee at the center of a live legislative fight over whether the bill goes far enough — or whether it gives aviation safety advocates just enough to claim progress while leaving the most consequential reforms on the table.

What the Bill Does

The ALERT Act directs the FAA to require broader implementation of ACAS-Xa collision avoidance systems for certain turbine-powered, fixed-wing aircraft and to develop and mandate ACAS-Xr standards for rotorcraft operating in Class B airspace. It also improves helicopter route safety and separation around airports, updates air traffic control processes, and — critically for the Armed Services Committee's jurisdiction — addresses national airspace system safety as it relates to Department of Defense activities.

That last provision is why the bill landed before Armed Services at all. The committee is specifically weighing a proposed amendment in the nature of a substitute to Title II of the legislation, the section governing DoD airspace coordination. The bill also directs the FAA to review airspace around airports nationwide to identify similar risks to those that contributed to the DCA collision, improves safety data-sharing between the FAA and the military, and requires a strategic roadmap for next-generation collision-avoidance technology.

The Legislative Fault Line

The ALERT Act was introduced by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), who also sits on the Armed Services Committee and has reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the bill amid ongoing negotiations with safety advocates. The National Business Aviation Association praised the bill's focused approach to DCA airspace safety.

But the legislation faces a direct challenge from the ROTOR Act, a competing Senate-backed bill with broader mandates. Families of DCA collision victims, air traffic controllers, pilots, flight attendants, airports, and regional airlines have pushed for House passage of the ROTOR Act instead, arguing the ALERT Act "falls short by not implementing a critical NTSB recommendation to require the installation of ADS-B In technology (CDTI) on aircraft."

The NTSB issued 50 recommendations following its February 2026 final report on the DCA collision. Supporters of the ALERT Act say it addresses all 50. Critics, including safety advocates cited by Business Insider, argue the Republican-backed bill does not mandate the anti-collision alert systems that airline jets most urgently need. A legal analysis by DLA Piper comparing the two bills notes that the ALERT Act stops short of the ROTOR Act's technology mandates while still representing a meaningful expansion of FAA authority over airspace safety.

Who's Lobbying the ALERT Act Hearing

The Armed Services Committee's involvement has drawn lobbying activity across the defense, emergency management, and communications sectors. Over the past year, organizations with relevant lobbying portfolios disclosed approximately $1.37 million in spending on issues touching the bill's core themes.

CAE USA Inc., which lobbies on national security, defense, and military aviation training, disclosed $220,000 across four quarters. Plexos Group LLC, focused on disaster response and recovery, disclosed $210,000. T-Mobile USA disclosed $180,000 on emergency and crisis response mechanisms. Global Shield, which lobbies on the Defense Production Act, federal emergency management, and the Global Catastrophic Risk Management Act, disclosed $155,000 across four quarters — and specifically tracked the FORCE Act (H.R. 3561) and CLEAR Act (H.R. 3542), legislation mirroring the ALERT Act's national security coordination goals.

On the PAC side, Maxar Intelligence Inc. — which lobbies on NDAA provisions and defense appropriations — contributed $10,000 to Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA-41), chair of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, over the past two years through its PAC. CAE USA's PAC contributed $2,000 to Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL-3) and $1,500 to Calvert during the same period.

The Bottom Line

Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL-3) leads a committee with direct jurisdiction over the DoD airspace provisions at the bill's core. Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-9), Vice Chair Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-1), and Vice Ranking Member Rep. Don Davis (D-NC-1) round out the leadership. The full committee — spanning dozens of members from both parties — will weigh whether the Title II substitute amendment adequately addresses military-civilian airspace coordination or whether it, like the broader bill, leaves too much undone.

The outcome will shape not just what happens at DCA, but how Congress draws the line between achievable aviation safety reform and the more sweeping changes that victims' families and safety advocates say the moment demands.

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