Kelly and Cotton’s Bill to Study Cancer Among Military Aviators Passes Senate
Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) celebrated the Senate passage of their ACES Act, bicameral and bipartisan legislation to address cancer rates among Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps aircrew members. The House companion led by Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX-11) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) passed the House in May. Now, the Senate-passed bill will return to the House for final passage.
The ACES Act directs the Department of the Veterans Affairs to work with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active-duty aircrew of a fixed-wing aircraft in the U.S. Armed Forces.
“As a former Navy pilot, there are certain risks that we know and accept come with our service, but we know far less about the health risks that are affecting many aviators years later,” said Sen. Kelly. “Veteran aviators deserve answers about the correlation between their job and cancer risks so we can reduce those risks for future pilots. I’m proud to see this approved in the Senate and won’t rest until we get it across the finish line.”
“We owe it to past, present, and future aviators in the armed forces to study the prevalence of cancer among this group of veterans. I applaud the House for passing this important piece of legislation and look forward to leading the effort, along with Senator Kelly, to pass it through the Senate,” said Sen. Cotton.
“I am thrilled that the Senate acted with urgency and passed the ACES Act today, which is my top priority in Congress. The ACES Act is in honor of my dear friend and former fighter pilot, Colonel Shurtleff, who recently lost his life in a second battle he never anticipated having to fight. Furthermore, the ACES Act is more than just a bill—it’s a lifeline for those who have already given so much for our freedom, and it’s a message to every pilot who has ever put on the uniform to protect our skies that we will fight to protect them in return. I look forward to moving this through the House once more and joining my colleagues at the White House to witness President Trump sign this vital bill into law,” said Rep. Pfluger.
“Many veterans face serious health risks, including increased rates of cancer potentially linked to aviation service,” said Rep. Panetta. “With the Senate’s passage of the ACES Act, we are one step closer to getting our aviators and their families the answers and care they deserve. This bipartisan progress underscores our commitment to understanding these diagnoses and ensuring that military and VA providers have the data they need to better protect those who’ve served our nation.”
“Senate passage of S.201 ACES Act will put our military and Veteran flyers and their families, first. We thank Senator Kelly and Senator Cotton for their courageous leadership,” said Vince Alcazar, COL, USAF, ret., MACH Coalition Founder & Director.
“The Fleet Reserve Association is extremely grateful to Senators Mark Kelly and Tom Cotton, and Representatives August Pfluger and Jimmy Panetta, for their bipartisan leadership in passing the Aviator Cancers Examination Study Act. This vital legislation equips us with tools to fight the elevated cancer risks faced by military aviators, delivering hope and support to service members and their families—past, present, and future—for generations to come,” said the Fleet Reserve Association.
Background:
The ACES Act is complementary to Kelly’s bipartisan Counting Veterans’ Cancer Act, which requires Veterans’ Health Administration facilities to share cancer data with state cancer registries, thereby guaranteeing their inclusion in the national registries. It will also help identify cancer-related disparities among veterans, improve the understanding of their cancer-related needs, and increase opportunities for veterans with cancer to be included in clinical trials, cancer-related research, and analysis. Key provisions of the Counting Veterans’ Cancer Act were included in the first government funding package of Fiscal Year 2024.
Click here to read the bill text.
