Jerry Moran: “this is a solemn occasion for me and for many people I know, and I rise this evening to recognize and honor the 67 lives…”

“this is a solemn occasion for me and for many people I know, and I rise this evening to recognize and honor the 67 lives we lost, 1 year ago tomorrow, on January 29, 2025. On that night, Flight 5342 took off from Wichita, KS, and flew toward our Nation's Capital with 64 passengers on board. In Washington, DC, a Black Hawk helicopter with three Army soldiers would soon be in the air as well. Flight 5342 was just minutes away from a safe landing at Reagan National Airport when the plane and the Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River. Shortly after 9 p.m., I received a call with the news that a flight from home--from Kansas--was involved in an accident in our Nation's Capital. I made my way to Reagan National Airport that night. The banks of the Potomac River were illuminated with lights from emergency responders who were searching the icy waters of a crash site. At the airport, I was joined by local leaders and the newly sworn-in Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy. Our conversation that night was one of many that would then span the course of the following year, trying to understand how an accident like this could occur and how to prevent it from ever happening again. At the airport, we learned the tragic news that there were no survivors. Of those who perished, seven were Kansans. Kiah Duggins, a civil rights attorney and a Wichita native, was set to begin teaching at Howard University School of Law.…”