ACES Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today not just as a Member of Congress but as a wingman, a servicemember, and a friend to those in uniform and in strong support of S. 201, the Aviator Cancers Examination Study Act, or the ACES Act.

Far too many of our military aviators and aircrew are being diagnosed with cancer at troubling rates. A 2021 Air Force study supported by additional Department of Defense research found that aviators face a 29 percent higher likelihood of testicular cancer, a 24 percent higher likelihood of melanoma, and a 23 percent higher risk of prostate cancer compared to their civilian counterparts.

These are incredibly healthy, in-shape, well-tested individuals, yet they have almost 30 percent higher cancer rates than the average civilian population.

Mr. Speaker, these numbers tell a painful story. When brave men and women volunteer to defend our Nation from the cockpit, they shouldn't face a second battle against cancer without our full support.

This is why this legislation, led by me and my friend from California (Mr. Panetta) in the House and by Senators Kelly and Cotton in the Senate, is critically necessary.

The ACES Act directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to partner with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a comprehensive study on the prevalence and causes of cancer among military aviators. We need to know the why, and we need to provide our aircrew with air cover for their own health.

By identifying the unique risk factors associated with aviation service, we can implement targeted screening protocols that enable earlier detection, when treatment is most effective. This leads to faster access to care and benefits, significantly improved survival rates, more time with loved ones, and the opportunity for continued service.

This bill builds upon previous research that has been done, but it goes the distance and increases the pool to the veteran population, not just those who are Active Duty, but also to those who have previously served as aviators.

I am an Air Force fighter pilot with over 20 years of service, and I fought alongside the best that this Nation has to offer. I have also stood beside too many of my brothers and sisters as they face their toughest battles--not in

the air, but when they got home, in hospital rooms, fighting a disease that they never saw coming.

That is the story of my friend, Colonel Andy ``Pablo'' Shurtleff. In March, Andy did a wonderful job of testifying before the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, sharing how his sudden cancer diagnosis brought his promising career to an abrupt end. He spoke with clarity and conviction about how a better understanding of cancer risk in the aviation community might have led to earlier detection not only in his case but in many of our friends and many of our wingmen, detection that could have saved his life and their lives.

Shortly after that, on Friday, May 23, my friend Pablo lost his battle with cancer. In his final days, one of the few comforts he knew was that the ACES Act was on track to becoming law. His courage, voice, and advocacy for other servicemembers should not be forgotten.

There are countless others I have served with, including people like Colonel Michael ``Bam Bam'' Stapleton and so many others who many of us know. That is what this bill represents. It represents keeping Pablo in the cockpit. It represents Pablo's kids and others in the next generation wanting to sign up for this because they know that we are going to give them that air cover.

This bill received bipartisan support on the House floor with a vote of 376-5 in May. This bill has the support of over 20 veteran organizations, cancer advocacy groups, and medical experts because they recognize what is at stake.

With the passage of this version of the bill, it will be sent to the President's desk, and I am hopeful that the President will sign it into law quickly so we can fulfill our promise to those who serve, a promise that when someone serves our Nation, we have their backs, that we will serve them, and that we will protect them.

Today, as we cast our votes on this critical legislation, we stand closer than ever to honoring the memory of heroes like Andy and giving future servicemembers a real chance at early detection, better treatment, and lifesaving research.

I sincerely thank my colleagues who cosponsored this bipartisan legislation, as well as Chairman Bost, the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; Chairman Luttrell; members of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees; Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senator Jerry Moran; and leadership for their unwavering support for moving this bill. Unlike many others in Congress, this was moved with Mach, with airspeed, and I appreciate that.

I am also deeply grateful to the dedicated volunteers of the MACH Coalition, whose passion and persistence helped carry this effort forward.

My heartfelt thanks go to Senator Mark Kelly, himself a combat veteran, a pilot, and an astronaut, and Senator Cotton for championing this bill in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' There really is no reason that we can't make this a unanimous ``yes'' vote in support of the ACES Act.

Most of all, my deepest gratitude goes to the thousands of pilots and aircrew members who are defending our Nation every single day. We see them. We thank them. We have their backs. This is the air cover that they so desperately deserve.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 201, the ACES Act of 2025, offered by Senator Mark Kelly.

Mr. Speaker, I will start by thanking all of those who helped to get this bill to this point. Among others, I am deeply appreciative of the Military Aviator Coalition for Health and their leadership in advocating for this issue.

I also thank my colleagues across the aisle, especially Representative Pfluger, the lead sponsor of the House version of this bill, for acknowledging the urgent need to address the alarming rates of aviator cancers.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't a partisan issue. It is about doing right by those who served.

Sadly, since we passed the House version of the bill, we have lost more aviators to cancer.

The urgency here is undeniable. We simply cannot afford to wait any longer. It is abundantly clear that we must investigate and pinpoint what is driving the illnesses among this population and develop a long- term strategy for early detection and treatment before a cancer has reached stage III or stage IV, before it is too late.

Members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs have often spoken of the incredible legacy of the Nation's military aviators, true experts who dedicate their lives to serving and protecting our country. We also heard heartbreaking stories of what happens when they come home, often looking healthy, only to be blindsided by a late-stage cancer diagnosis and a bleak outlook.

In fact, just a few short days ago, at a roundtable I hosted, we heard directly from veterans, caregivers, and survivors about the profound toll that this takes. We are talking about individuals in peak physical condition who are running marathons, lifting weights, and acing physical readiness tests, only to be stopped in their tracks by cancer. This is a story that is tragically far too common in the aviation community and the broader veteran population, as well.

We accomplished a monumental task in the 117th Congress with the Honoring our PACT Act, but we must continue to fight for military aviators and countless others who have been exposed to a litany of toxins and hazards during their service.

The ACES Act is a step in the right direction. It is not the fix-all. It is not the end of the journey. It is a start of one, just like the Honoring our PACT Act was.

I will say that I am heartened by the consensus that we have reached on this bill on the need to research aviator cancers. I am hopeful that we can work in lockstep on behalf of our veterans as we continue to advocate for every one of them. For example, this bill deals principally with fixed-wing aviators. I am hopeful that we will similarly rally around legislation for rotary-wing aircraft pilots.

I am genuinely hopeful that, upon completing this study, we will be significantly closer to understanding the root causes of aviator cancers. More importantly, we will be able to provide our Nation's veterans with comprehensive care, the preventative and palliative care that they earned and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to getting this and other critical exposure legislation through this body and signed into law. I hope my colleagues will continue to rally around our efforts.

Mr. Speaker, that is why I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing S. 201. I thank Representative Pfluger for this legislation. I am very honored and pleased to be able to support it, and I ask all of my colleagues to do the same.

Before I yield back, I do want to say that there are many more of our veterans who have been exposed to some toxic substances, whether it is radiation or something that is going on with our pilots.

We have learned recently of the Area 51 veterans who served at the Nevada Test Site and who obviously show signs collectively of exposure to radiation and bear the medical consequences of that.

We have ample evidence, for example, that our naval servicemembers who serve on speedboats and have been exposed to intense vibrations may have medical consequences that merit our attention. We know that exposure to overblast may cause serious traumatic brain injury.

Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of this legislation, which I can wholly support, I believe that we must do more. I ask the chairman if we might schedule a hearing for the more extensive examination into the many other types of exposures--environmental exposures, toxic exposures-- that our veterans have been and our servicemembers are being subjected to. Let us pay attention to those, as well. I humbly request such a hearing.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 201) to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, 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 on

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 201. The bill was introduced by Senators Kelly and Cotton, and the House version was introduced by my

friend and fellow Representative, Mr. Pfluger.

The bill would ensure that there is trusted medical research available to pave the way for toxic-exposed military pilots and aircrew to access their VA disability compensation benefits.

Colonel Andrew Shurtleff, who testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in March, was one of these veterans. He served our country as an Air Force fighter pilot for 23 years, flying over 1,800 hours.

The colonel began his career flying the F-15C Eagle and was chosen as one of the first F-22 Raptor instructors. I am told that one of his proudest achievements was serving as the 325th Operational Support Squadron commander at Tyndall Air Force Base, supporting Operation Northern Watch.

Colonel Shurtleff started fighting stage IV cancer in 2019 at just 41 years old and, unfortunately, passed away on May 23 at the age of 48.

My prayers are with his wife, Julie, and their family. We are forever grateful for his service to this country and to his community.

Military pilots and aircrew like Colonel Shurtleff work in tight spaces and are exposed to chemicals and toxic fumes every time they fly a mission. However, there is not enough medical research available for VA to simply presume that their cancers are related to those exposures. This lack of comprehensive medical research makes it hard for these military pilots and aircrew to access and earn these benefits.

Each one of those veterans must prove to VA that chemicals and toxins caused their cancer. Many had to fight the VA system for years before receiving any disability compensation, and many others never received their earned benefits before they passed away.

S. 201 would require the National Academies to conduct a study on whether the cancers suffered by military pilots and aircrew are related to their chemical and toxic exposures.

VA needs robust medical research to streamline military aircrew veterans' access to disability compensation, and VA needs it fast for today's and tomorrow's veterans.

This bill ensures that research gets done and that our military pilots and aircrew get the answers they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support S. 201, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the sponsor of the House side of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, understand that we at the committee have hearings and will continue to have hearings on things like this many times. We will take the ranking member's comments under advisement. We will set the agenda and figure out what we will have hearings on and what we won't. I appreciate the request. This is why we have these types of hearings, and that is why we have this legislation here today.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 201 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Kelly substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.