Aviation Supply Chain Safety and Security Digitization Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of my bill, H.R. 6267, the Aviation Supply Chain Safety and Security Digitization Act.

I thank Chairman Graves for the opportunity to speak today, and I also thank my colleague from Michigan (Ms. Scholten) for joining me as a cosponsor of this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we often take for granted the delicate complexity of airplanes, millions of parts and components working together to ensure passenger safety. The FAA protects the supply chain by requiring certification documents for each part following its manufacturing, assembly, and repair. Known as an Authorized Release Certificate, or an ARC, these documents certify each part meets rigorous FAA airworthiness standards before an FAA certified technician can perform any necessary work.

Unfortunately, today, Mr. Speaker, ARCs and similar certificates represent a weak link in our aviation supply chain security.

Despite many advances since the Wright brothers' first flight in my home State of North Carolina, the FAA's recordkeeping is stuck in 1903. Ink and paper hold up the efficiency and the security of this delicate supply chain. A few forged signatures are all that it takes for a nefarious actor to inject hundreds, if not thousands, of fraudulently and potentially dangerous parts into planes around the world.

Unfortunately, this is not hypothetical. This very scenario has already happened. In the summer of 2023, service employees in Europe discovered that some of the engine's parts that they were working on were noticeably older than their documentation indicated, and they alerted the appropriate authorities.

It was then discovered that questionable parts had infiltrated more than 126 airplane engines, affecting Delta, American, United, and Southwest Airlines, among others.

This bill is a simple, industry-driven step towards defending against similar occurrences. This bill would require the GAO to conduct a study into barriers that prevent the FAA and the aviation industry from modernizing their supply chain security by digitizing ARCs and other safety documents which would prevent bad actors from so easily compromising these important records.

My bill would also require the GAO to make prompt recommendations to Congress on accelerating the FAA's adoption of digital documentation and a path to voluntary adoption within the industry.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank all of the members of the aviation industry who joined the Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition. The coalition's quick and focused efforts in response to the 2023 incident that I just mentioned laid the important groundwork for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I once again thank Chairman Graves and Representative Scholten for their support, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6267.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6267) to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the impediments to digital documentation and verification in the aviation supply chain, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record on H.R. on 6267.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the safety of our airspace is and has always been the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's top priority.

That commitment to aviation safety extends down to the raw materials and components used to manufacture and maintain aircraft that are operational in the National Airspace System.

Recent reports of bad actors falsifying paperwork, leading to unapproved parts entering the supply chain, are not only highly concerning but also underscores the need to authenticate documents and intercept counterfeit parts.

Unapproved parts and falsified documentation threaten the safety of our aviation system and the integrity of our supply chain, which we have worked so diligently to strengthen.

Mr. Speaker, American manufacturers, repair stations, air carriers, aircraft lessors, aircraft brokers, and parts brokers deserve and need the tools to easily identify falsified documentation and ensure they are not buying, selling, or installing counterfeit parts.

H.R. 6267 will identify barriers to tools that can help identify counterfeit parts, ensuring everyone in the aviation supply chain has the ability to verify the authenticity of the materials and parts they purchase.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Knott).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Representative Knott from North Carolina for his leadership on this important issue.

To reiterate, unapproved parts and falsified documentation threaten the safety of our aviation system and the integrity of our supply chain which holds it all together.

This legislation will improve aviation safety by identifying barriers to adopting digital tools to identify the authenticity of materials and parts in the aviation supply chain.

Furthermore, H.R. 6267, the Aviation Supply Chain Safety and Security Digitization Act of 2025, will support the Federal Aviation Administration as they work to digitize legacy paper systems as required by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.

Mr. Speaker, as a Representative of Ohio, where the Wright brothers built and designed the very first airplane, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6267, the Aviation Supply Chain Safety and Security Digitization Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by my friends Representative Knott of North Carolina and Representative Scholten of Michigan.

U.S. innovation, economic growth, and global leadership are impossible without our Nation's aerospace industry. This is an industry that is particularly relevant to me representing Mobile, my hometown, where we are the proud home to an Airbus facility.

Unfortunately, the last few years have taught us, through a pandemic, tariffs, and quality control issues, just how much supply chain disruptions can spiral and compound. It is essential that Congress take this lesson and pass legislation to reduce the risk of these compounding disruptions from happening in the future.

H.R. 6267 directs the GAO to study the impediments to the use of digital documentation and verification in the aviation supply chain to aid in identifying falsified documentation and counterfeit parts.

As a major driver of the U.S. economy, we must ensure that aerospace supply chains remain resilient. To achieve that, we must also remove any unnecessary or antiquated barriers where we can.

This bill will help Congress find ways to expedite the aerospace supply chains digital transition. I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we must learn from past lessons, as Representative Knott just explained the incident that happened in 2023. We have the tools at our disposal to be able to deal with this, to be able to better secure our supply chain in the aerospace industry, and we have an obligation to do so.

That is why I support H.R. 6267, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.