reauthorization bill and in the committee, they chose not to jam more flights into dca. and then when the bill was on the floor, someone tried to make the amendment that's the same amendment that's before today say add ten slots ten flights and house rejected it. so this is not a battle with the house. the house is -- accepted the advocacy of the faa and regional delegation they've paid heed to the potential impacts on delay and cancelations and even potential collisions. they've said we're not going to run this risk. the last thing we want is for there to be something bad happen out at that airport and people stick a mic in our face say you knew this and warned and voted for it anyway. so the house rejected this. and what senator warren and i and senator van hollen and four

senators from the region affected by this bill affected very dramatically by the bill we're asking hoping our senate colleagues will too we want to support this faa bill it has a lot of good in it but when it comes to jamming flight on the busiest airport on the united states we're saying what the air traffic controller -- said narrowly averting collision, stop, stop for god's sake stop with that madam president, i yield the floor. president this week the senate is finally considering the federal aviation administration reauthorization act. and i'm glad we are here even if belatedly our nation depends on a safe, efficient, and robust national aviation system. and the bill before us today will help strengthen aviation safety address the pilot shortage, and improve airport infrastructure. all of which will contribute to a better experience for the traveling public. and particularly pleased that my

proposal to create and enhance qualification program for perspective airline pilots, was included inrs the bill. the united states is facing a serious pilot shortage which is resulted in reduced air service at airports around the country. this has real impacts on the flying public particularly for those in rural states like south dakota, since smaller regional airports attended to see the greatest reduction in flights. to help address this shortage and improve the quality of pilot training, senator sinema and i introduced a proposal to create an enhanced qualification program for perspective airline pilots. ourli proposal was a direct response to a recommendation from the air carrier training aviation rule making committee a body of industry, labor, and safety representatives who meet regularly under the faa office of aviation safety which recommended thehe implementation of such a program to create a structured pathway for pilots to

obtain intensive training while united states has stringent requirements for flight hours perspective airline pilots must complete before obtaining license, the quality of that cockpit time is often less than optimal preparation for flying commercial jets. and so to better prepare pilots for better jobs our proposal will implement combine audited by the faa administered by air carriers to give aspiring airline pilots intensive training with experienced air carrier pilots and other experts. intensive training, mr. president, is the kind of air carrier environment where prospective airline pilots will be flying. is something that is largely missing from current training. and getting the chance to work closely with season pilots will helpd turn out highly qualified pilots who are better prepared

for flying commercial jets. in addition, our programs use of similar training, who is proven value has resulted in its extensive use by the military will get perspective airline pilots exposure to the cockpits of the jets they will be flying. and crucially, allow them to experience what it's like to handle challenging and dangerous situations in those cockpits. for obvious reasons, standard flight training hours don't involve deliberately flying into perilous weather conditions or dealing with things like fires or engine failure. but simulator training efforts offers i should say perspective airline pilots the chance to deal with all of those situations, and more. and deal with them again and again until their response w to these situations is fine-tuned. mr. president, our proposal is a win/win. it will turn out better prepared

pilots, and it will help address the pilot shortage by making training more accessible and i'm very pleased that it was included in the bill that is before us today. i'm also very pleased that senator aviation work force development act and recruitment act which i cosponsored was included in the bill. this measure will help address work force challenges across the aviation industry by expanding resources to help recruit and train pilots aviation manufacturing workers, and the mechanics. and finally are rural air service once again in mind, i'm pleased my provision to hay low communities to receive small air service development program graduates for the same project was included in the legislation this will help make it easier to expand air service for rural communities. the bill also includes language providing small airports with more flexibility to use iap

funding for terminal improvements which will beun crucial for enabling rural airports to expand access as construction costs continue to rise. mr. president, on another topic, the legislation before us today includes my bipartisan increasing competitiveness for american drone act with senator wariner. which will streamline the proposal process for drone flights and clear the way for drones to be used for transportive goods across the country. but wider employment of drones has potential to transform the economy with innovative opportunities for transportation and agriculture that would benefit rural states like south dakota. and my bill will help ensure that the united states remains competitive in a growing industry increasingly dominated by countries like china. i'm also pleased that legislation i cosponsored with

senator duckworth to improve the flying experience for individuals who use mobility aids was included in the final legislation that we're considering. mr. president, no bill is perfect. but i believe that the legislation before us today will make real progress toward a safer, and more reliable aviation a system and an improvd flying experience for the american public. and i'm grateful to all of those who contradict tol getting this bill to the floor today. former chairman of the commerce committee i know how much work goes into the process of drafting and moving and faa reauthorization bill. and i want to thank the chair and ranking member in all of their staff and particularly i want to thank ranking member ted cruz for his tireless efforts both in getting this bill to the finish line and ensuring that we ended up with a strong piece of legislation. his work to ensure that we have strong, staffing mandates for air traffic controller is as well as his efforts to reduce back logs and improve the faa's

efficiency deserve particular recognition. i want to thank senator iran and duck duckworth for their aviation operations and innovation. mr. president as i said final passage of the faa reauthorization act has been a long time coming. but the day is finally here. and i look forward to seeing this bill enacted into the law in the very near future. mr. president, i yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum. >> earlier today commerce secretary gina testified on president biden's 2025 budget request and other priorities for her department. watch the house appropriation sub committee hearing tonight at 9:00 eastern on c-span. c-span now our free, mobile video app or online at c-span.org.