‘We owe it to the victims’ families and the American flying public’ | Interview with Rep. Sharice Davids on aviation safety reform after Flight 5342

Sharice Davids is the Democratic representative for Kansas’s 3rd District, covering much of the Kansas City metropolitan area. She sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has played a leading role in Congress's response to the midair collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on 29 January 2025, in which 67 people were killed.

Davids helped lead the bipartisan ALERT Act, which passed the House last month by 396 votes to 10 and is now headed to the Senate. The legislation follows the failure of the Senate-drafted ROTOR Act in the House in February, when the bill fell a single vote short of the two-thirds majority required for fast-track passage. Senators including Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell have signalled they want elements of the ROTOR Act preserved in any final package, and the Families of Flight 5342 have publicly pressed for stronger language on military coordination and fixed implementation deadlines.

We spoke to Rep. Davids about the path to a final bill, her response to the families' concerns, and what the Wichita and wider Kansas dimension brings to the negotiations now under way.

Sharice Davids is a key proponent of aviation safety and modernization, utilizing her role on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to bolster Kansas’ aerospace industry.

The Senate has already signalled its preference for elements of the ROTOR Act, and several of those provisions overlap with what is now in the ALERT Act. How do you see the path forward from here, and do you anticipate a formal conference committee or do you expect this to be resolved through behind-the-scenes negotiation?

There's broad agreement on the goal here, which is improving aviation safety and preventing future tragedies. Folks in the Senate like elements of the ROTOR Act, as do I, so I expect we'll see a combination of formal and informal negotiations to get to a final package. My focus is on making sure we don't lose momentum and that the strongest, most workable provisions make it across the finish line. We owe it to the victims' families and the American flying public.

With the legislative calendar tightening and competing priorities in both chambers, are you hopeful that a final bill will reach the President's desk this session, and where do you see the key sticking points that could slow things down?

I'm hopeful we can get a final bill to the President's desk this session, but there are still real conversations happening around implementation timelines and how certain provisions are structured. Those are important details, and we need to get them right. At the end of the day, the goal is a bill that's both strong and executable.

In December 2025, Sharice Davids (D-KS-03), alongside Representatives Mike Flood (R-NE-01), Troy Carter (D-LA-02), and Tracey Mann (R-KS-01) introduced the Securing America’s Fuels (SAF) Act,

The Families of Flight 5342 have been clear that the ALERT Act, as passed, does not go far enough. They want stronger language on military coordination and fixed implementation deadlines, having previously thrown their weight behind the ROTOR Act. What is your response to their concerns, and how are you working with them as the bill moves to the Senate?

The families have been incredibly powerful and engaged advocates throughout this process, and they've helped keep the focus where it belongs — on safety and accountability. As I said on the House floor before the bill passed, I take their concerns seriously, especially around coordination and making sure there are clear expectations in place. I'm committed to continuing to work with them and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strengthen the final bill, bridge differences, and deliver a solution that truly improves safety.

Wichita is one of the world's leading aerospace manufacturing hubs and Flight 5342 originated there. With aerospace so concentrated in Kansas, what does that perspective bring to the Senate conversations now under way?

Kansas, and especially Wichita, brings an important perspective to this conversation as a hub for aerospace manufacturing and innovation. It's in our blood. We understand both the safety stakes and the operational realities of the industry. That’s why losing our neighbors in this tragedy hit so hard. I've been focused on making sure the final bill reflects strong safety standards while being practical to efficiently implement across the aviation sector.

Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) helped introduce the ALERT Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at modernizing aviation safety systems, strengthening air traffic controller training, and reducing the risk of future tragedies.

The ALERT Act now sits with the Senate, where it is expected to be taken up by the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Senators are likely to push for the inclusion of provisions from the ROTOR Act, including the requirement for ADS-B In equipment (which allows aircraft to receive real-time traffic data) on aircraft operating around busy airports, before any final text returns to the House. Whether that is settled through a formal conference committee or through informal negotiation between the two chambers remains to be seen, but with the legislative calendar narrowing and the Families of Flight 5342 continuing to press for stronger language, the coming weeks will determine whether a unified bill reaches the President's desk this session.