WATCH: Barrett Speaks on Improving Aviation Safety, Votes to Advance ALERT Act in Response to D.C. Crash

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) and his colleagues on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved H.R. 7613, the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act. This wide-ranging bipartisan bill was introduced to improve air travel and aviation safety in response to the January 2025 mid-air crash over the Potomac River that claimed 67 lives. In his remarks, Barrett highlighted the critical need to address shortfalls in anti-collision and locating systems in military and commercial aircraft.

Click hereor the image above to watch Rep. Barrett's remarks.

Below are highlights from Barrett's remarks.

"As I've reflected on the many different risk factors and elements that led to this, I continue to go back to a few different things, one of which was that the American Airlines flight had ADS-B Out that was operating functional and transmitting, but it did not have ADS-B In. The Army flight had ADS-B In, but they were not transmitting ADS-B Out. The airline had TCAS, and the helicopter did not.

"Those factors, along with muddled transmissions through the radio, a stepped-on transmission, a misidentification of which airplane they were set to steer around and avoid, an altitude that was a little bit too high, and an altimeter that was less precise than the crew relied on, all contributed to this.

"And I truly believe that the steps we're taking today are going to decrease and mitigate those risks in a significant way. I'm also thankful that on the Armed Services (Committee) side, they've taken measures to hold the military accountable in ways that we need to force their hand to make significant safety improvements as well, and so I'm excited to see this bill form up on the floor."

Background:

The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is an interactive anti-crash technology used to direct pilots in two approaching aircraft to fly in specific directions and avoid a collision. The Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) system transmits an aircraft's position data to other aircraft and air traffic control; ADS-B Out sends the signal, and ADS-B In receives the signal.

These remarks come the day after Barrett introduced the Safety in Shared Skies Act, his fourth bill in response to the Potomac River crash. This bill would require the ADS-B Out system in military aircraft to be tested and serviced every 90 days. Last year, Barrett introduced the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act, which was signed into lawin December 2025 and began the process of equipping military helicopters with TCAS, as well as ADS-B In. In January of this year, Barrett introduced the Military ADS-B Out Loophole Act, which would prevent military helicopter pilots from turning off ADS-B Out transmissions during non-sensitive portions of flight missions, as well as the Next-Gen Collision Avoidance Assistance Actto advance the deployment of the next generation of anti-crash technology in civilian and military aircraft.